For the Love of a Fire Demon
by TremorsGirl12
Summary: Sango decides not to travel with the IY gang, and along her lonely travels, she is saved by Hiei and his friend. When Hiei realizes they have a common enemy, he reluctantly agrees to accompany her. This is a HieixXxSango fic. Update: 2 chapters per week
1. Chapter 1

Sango sighed, readjusting her Hiraikotsu on her shoulder, trudging through the dense forest. She could hear Kirara padding along beside her. Birds chirped happily above her in the trees, and she wished her mood was as cheery as theirs. It was a hot day and she was tired. 'Almost there,' she thought, wiping her brow with the sleeve of her kimono. She wondered if her decision not to travel with Inuyasha's group was a mistake as she continued along her pathless way. She would miss Kagome's company, and even Inuyasha had grown on her. He had been especially gracious to her, and had become a treasured friend, even after she had stolen his precious sword. She gritted her teeth at the memory. The demon Naraku had manipulated her into stealing it, promising the return of her brother if she brought it to him. In the end, Naraku did not keep his word, Inuyasha had rightfully regained possession of the sword Tetsusaiga, and Kohaku still remained Naraku's slave. Kagome and Miroku had kindly asked for her to accompany them on their journey, and Inuyasha had rolled his eyes at her. Gentleness wasn't his thing. Instead, he simply said it would be stupid of her not to join them. She decided she would travel with them, since they all had a common interest: to destroy Naraku for his evil deeds. Eventually, though, she realized it just wasn't working for her. It was something she couldn't explain. She liked them all. She had even developed a crush (though she'd never admit it) on the lecherous monk, Miroku. None of them had been happy about her choice to leave their group and travel alone. Even Inuyasha demanded an explanation. When all was said and done, they all knew they couldn't stop her, or change her mind. They let her leave, with the promise that she could return to them at any time.

Lost in thinking, she didn't even notice that she had reached the end of the forest. A small village came into view. 'Finally,' she thought, tiredly. The village was small, much like Kaede's, and like many others, was plagued by war and demon attacks. She heard a traveling rumor that this village was in need of ridding itself of a terrible demon. She had been fairly close by, so she decided to investigate. She rolled her eyes. She had been further away than she thought. Adjusting her Hiraikotsu again, she made her way to the center of the village. She asked a young girl where she might find the village leader, and was directed to a humble house close by. She went to the house, and requested an audience with the leader. She was asked to state her business by a man that she assumed to be a servant. She told the man that she had come in hopes of destroying the demon that had terrorized the village. The man told her to wait, and then walked into the house, leaving her standing outside. After a short time, the door opened again, and a young man stood before her. He looked tired, like he had gone many nights without sleeping. She couldn't help but notice he was quite good looking. He was tall, about 6'3, with green eyes and dark hair. He had a lean build, and a welcoming smile. She also couldn't help but notice how young he was.

"You've come to help us?" he asked.

"Yes. I've heard of this village's plight, and I wish to exterminate this demon. Can you tell me about it?"

"Come inside, slayer."

She followed him into his small home. He gestured for her to sit, and she gratefully accepted his offer. She set her weapons on the floor, and then sat down opposite the young man.

"May I ask your name, slayer?" he asked.

"Forgive me. My name is Sango."

"Sango," he said. "What a lovely name."

"Thank you, my lord," she said, bowing her head.

"No, please call me Hiro," he said with a gentle smile.

He had dark circles under his eyes. His village's dark situation was wearing on him. Sango could tell. He had a gentle soul and he truly cared for the well-being of his people. He chose to live humbly, he had few servants, and his home was decorated sparsely. He was anything but lavish. She admired that about him.

"Hiro," she said, "Can you tell me about this demon?" she asked again.

"Honestly, there's not much to tell. It's a fire demon. There is a powerful priestess living amongst us now. She came to us about a month ago. She is kind and has strong spiritual powers. She has been able to purify every demon that has attacked our village except for this cursed one. This monster is stronger than even she, and that is quite frightening. It attacks at night. It's a flesh eating demon. So far we have lost five men and two women to it. I know not where it comes from."

"This priestess," she said, curious now. "What is her name?" She already had an idea.

"Kikyo. She goes by the name of Kikyo."

"Mmm." She knew it.

"Will you help us, Sango?" he asked.

"Yes. I only need to know the next time you think it will strike."

"Tonight," he said. "It has struck every night since it appeared."

"Right, then," she said. "I shall be ready. Thank you for your time."

"Please, Sango. It is still early in the day. Won't you stay here so you can rest? You look tired, and I can offer lodgings. Let me show you to a room, and after that, I'll have a bath heated for you, and food taken to your room if you'd like." He smiled his gentle smile again.

"I'd very much appreciate that," she said.

Rice, fish and some bread were waiting for Sango when she returned to her room after her bath. She sat beside Kirara, who was eating the last of the treats Kagome had given her. Sango missed Kagome's companionship. She was the first human female friend she had ever truly had, having had only fought alongside men. It had been a nice change. She picked up her bowl of rice, beginning to think. What was Lady Kikyo doing here? Had she come upon this village in her wanderings, or had she sought out this village, as Sango had? The demon was on her mind as well; a fire demon stronger than Kikyo. She had to admit that she was slightly afraid. Sango possessed no spiritual powers of her own. Instead, she relied upon Kirara, and her own physical strength in battle. Would Kirara's and her strength succeed where Kikyo's spiritual powers had not? She wasn't so sure. Kikyo was no weakling. Still, she had told Lord Hiro that she would do her best, and she was going to keep her word.

Sango felt well rested as night approached the small, poor village. Kirara at her side, Sango walked outside to await the approach of this demon. She didn't intend on allowing it to reach the village. Instead, she wanted to wait until she could sense its powers, and then go to it before it got too close to these innocent people. Not surprisingly, Kikyo was there as well, with her bow and arrows.

"Sango," Kikyo said simply.

Sango nodded. "Lady Kikyo," she acknowledged.

Kikyo didn't ask where Inuyasha or the others were, or why they weren't with her, and Sango didn't offer the information, though she suspected Kikyo might be curious. They both stood silent, waiting. Before long, Sango could sense a presence. It was strong indeed. One of the strongest she had ever felt before. Kirara mewed, and in a burst of hot flames, turned into her true sabre toothed form. Sango mounted her, and was about to tell Kirara to head for the demonic power, then realized with terror in her heart that it was too late. This demon was upon them. 'How can this be?' Sango thought. Only a moment ago, she sensed its power, but it had been at least two miles away, and now, it was almost at the edge of the forest where she had been when she entered the village.

"It's here," Kikyo said.

Sango could only nod. The villagers had long since taken cover. Everybody that is, except for Hiro. He stood silently outside of his dwelling. The village was quiet, and every second seemed to last an hour for Sango as she waited.

"It has come earlier this time," Kikyo murmured. "Usually it waits until the sun is completely gone. Today, the sun has barely set."

Sango wondered what this could mean. Before she had too much time to think, the demon appeared at the edge of the village. Hiro stared at this demon. Something was off about this, he knew it. He didn't have the ability to "feel" demonic auras, or any other kind of "sixth sense," but somehow he still knew something was wrong. He continued to watch this demon. He was tall, and had a figure similar to Hiro's. His hair was as dark as night, spiked, with a white, jagged stripe in the center, framing the top of his head. Like a lightning bolt going sideways and curving slightly. His eyes were a dark crimson color. He walked slowly, confidently. At his hip he had a katana in a black sheath. Sango took all this in, and then the fact that she could sense in this demon (for he was, in fact, a demon) no evil. His gaze was cold and calculating, but it didn't appear to Sango as evil. Was this the demon?

Sango jumped in surprise as a blinding light flashed to her left, then towards the demon that approached them. The demon made no move to dodge the arrow, and Sango saw a light in the shape of an eye appear beneath the white bandana that was tied around his head. A demonic barrier appeared before him. The arrow hit it, and disappeared. Kikyo scowled and fired another. The demon smirked, and the same thing happened.

The demon continued to walk. Sango stepped forward.

"Do you challenge me, slayer?" he asked, seeming amused.

"Why do you plague this village?" she asked simply, calmly.

"I did not realize that passing through was considered a crime." His gaze was no longer amused.

"You know the crimes you've committed, monster!" Kikyo strung another arrow.

"Foolish woman, have you not learned from the last two attempts that you cannot harm me? Now, step aside. Allow me to pass, or I will become cross." He never stopped walking. The demon was almost to the center of the village now. "I haven't got time to play with the likes of you," he sneered.

"Why have you killed and devoured innocent people in this village, demon?" Sango asked.

"I have no idea what you mean, human," the demon replied.

Somehow, Sango felt that he was not lying. "Kikyo, you're sure this is the demon?" she asked.

"A fire demon has been attacking this village. This demon's aura is fire. Can you not feel it?"

"Yes. I know this demon's aura is fire, but still…..you're sure? What did the demon look like? Lord Hiro did not tell me."

"A black beast," she said. "The demon that attacked this village possessed the form of a black beast. Simply because this demon looks human, does not mean he isn't the one. He could be a shape shifter. Don't be fooled by it, Sango."

The demon laughed. "A black beast? Well, I can assure you, I have no interest in attacking pitiful villages such as this one. I am not your black beast, priestess."

The sun was gone now, and darkness had completely settled over the village. Sango heard it before she sensed it. It was the sound of trees snapping and breaking in the forest. She sensed it a moment later: the aura of another demon. This demon's aura was powerful indeed, but it was not even half as strong as the demon before her and Kikyo. It was also definitely, unarguably evil. "He isn't the demon," she whispered.

"No, this has to be him!" said Kikyo.

Sango was now completely convinced of this demon's innocence of the crimes which he stood accused. "Kikyo, I know you sense that presence in the forest. I'm going after it before it gets here. This demon here is not the one you seek." She nodded towards the forest, "that one is." She looked at the demon before her. He had stopped walking, and his attention was now on the demon in the forest. "I apologize for accusing you. I was mistaken. Forgive me."

"Hn," he said. "You cannot possibly hope to defeat that demon on your own. I don't care how powerful a slayer you are, you're still only human. That demon will destroy you and your feline."

Kirara roared, insulted by his comment.

"You're plenty strong enough, neko. There's simply another issue." He crossed his arms.

"Which is?" Sango asked.

"Oh, let's see. There's the fact that that if it wishes, this demon possesses no actual, physical body. It's an apparition."

"Oh, yeah?" she asked. "You know this how?"

She saw the eye-shaped light flash beneath his bandana. "I just know."

There wasn't a single doubt in her mind that he was speaking the truth. Still, she asked, "What are you, a psychic or something?"

"Or something," he said.

"Then why does this demon devour humans?" she asked.

The demon rolled his eyes. "How about because it's evil?"

"Fine, no need to be sarcastic." She knew she had to find a way to purify it, but how? Kikyo had tried and failed, and now Sango knew why. Her arrows, despite the fact that they were strong and sacred, were still physical. Physical attacks of any kind would phase through this demon. It had a solid body, yet could make itself ghost-like? She shuddered. How, then, was she to destroy it? The answer dawned on her. A demonic attack was most likely the only way. She cursed herself for not staying with Inuyasha now. His Wind Scar might have really come in handy. An idea came to her, but she feared asking. She sucked in her breath. Time was not a luxury she could afford right now. She shoved her pride aside and turned to the handsome demon. "Will you help me?"

He raised an elegant eyebrow. "Why would I want to do that? I have no need to be a hero to these villagers, that priestess, who, by the way, better stand down, or you, slayer."

Sango turned to Kikyo. "Please put away your arrows, Kikyo. This demon has done this village no harm. The one who has draws closer every second. Please…"

Kikyo's brow furrowed, and she, with one last murderous glare at the demon, lowered her arrow. Without another word, she walked over to Hiro to fill him in on what was happening.

"Please, I beg of you," Sango whispered, turning around to face him once again. "Help me." She looked around. The demon was gone. She couldn't even sense him anymore. Her heart sank. 'What will I do now?' she wondered." Kirara, we need to try, my friend," she said. Kirara nodded, and took off into the sky, leaving the village behind.

Sango clung to her dear friend's fur, desperately trying to come up with a possible solution. She could think of none. Kirara was flying through the thick, dark forest now. It looked different to Sango now that it was night. It looked sinister. She was close to the aura, but the demon was no longer making noise, and she couldn't see it. It wasn't breaking trees anymore. She suspected it had either stopped moving, or it was phasing through everything around it now. It knew she was here. Suddenly, she saw a flash of light to her right. She turned to see the beast Kikyo had spoken of. It was huge; bigger than Kirara twice over. It stood on four legs. It looked like a huge, monstrous, hunch backed dog, with clawed hands instead of paws. Hovering above the monster, there was a figure wearing white furs and a baboon mask. Sango didn't have time to react. Only half a second had passed since she had turned to face the monster. She felt a sharp pain just before the world went black.

Okay! So this is my first fic ever. Please R&R! Please! If I don't receive reviews, I most likely won't continue this. Please let me know what you think! Also, this is a Hiei/Sango fic. I know a lot of people don't like this pairing, but Sango is my favofite IY character, and Hiei is my favorite YYH character. I plan on bringing Inuyasha's group and Sesshomaru into the story. Kurama and Yukina will also come in soon. Kagura, Kanna, Naraku, etc. as well. (Obviously, you already know Naraku is tied in with the dark beast attacking Hiro's village.) No Yusuke. Sorry, guys, but remember, this story is taking place in the Feudal Era, so Yusuke and Kuwabara don't exist yet. I considered bringing them through the well, but then I'd have to devote a chapter and editing into them meeting Kagome, and her somehow taking them to the well and….yeah….I just decided against that. Also, I'm up to taking requests for other pairings. Who do you want to see together? Let me know! I just might take on your request!

3 3 3

-Tremor'sGirl12.


	2. Chapter 2

Hiei was running. The cold wind of the night whipped against his face. He wished he had paid more attention! He cursed himself. The slayer had turned her attention away from him in an attempt to talk some sense into that stupid, cold, dead priestess. That was when he had chosen to leave. Of course, he could have left any time he wanted to. He had simply decided he didn't want to deal with these women and their demon pest problem. He left the village behind, in the opposite direction of the approaching apparition. Why should he destroy it? It had done nothing to him. Why should he assist the slayer and that irritating dead priestess who had seriously thought she could defeat him with an arrow? An arrow! What a stupid, half-witted wench. At least the slayer had had enough sense to realize she couldn't hurt him if she tried, and that she had no reason to in the first place. Hiei had a sister to rescue, and slaying a demon that had nothing to do with his cause was a waste of his precious time. He had been in such a hurry to leave, he had missed the arua. His aura. Naraku's aura. He had been running, trying to make up for his lost time in the village when he felt it. He stopped. 'Is it?' he thought. A moment later he was sure that it was. He turned around, and found himself running towards the village again.

He was at the edge of the village now. Naraku was going to pay, and this time, he wasn't going to get away from him. He was going to rescue Yukina and send her back to the Realm of Ice where she belonged. He found himself wondering for the hundredth time why she had left her realm in the first place. The second she had, she had made herself vulnerable to everything that was here. He forced himself to focus. None of that mattered now. What mattered was freeing her. He saw the creepy priestess as he approached the center of the village. She was where she had been when he left: talking to that young man Hiei had noticed before. She saw him approaching, and he gave her a look that dared her to get in his way. He saw her tighten her grip on the bow she held, but she didn't move from where she stood as he passed by. A few seconds later, he was at the opposite edge of the village, heading towards the forest. He assumed the slayer had gone after the demon, despite him telling her she and her nekomata had no chance in winning. He found himself wondering for a fleeting second if she was still alive. Something was different about that woman. For one thing, she allied herself with a demon: a fire demon at that. The neko seemed very protective of the slayer, and when Hiei had read her mind, he had found that she chose to travel with the slayer willingly. They were friends, and the slayer loved her companion. That was not a trait found normally in humans. He almost laughed at the irony of a demon slayer who possessed a demon friend.

He was in the forest now. He scanned the area around him. "Naraku," he said, quietly. "I know you are here, and I know you can hear me. Come out, you coward."

"Ah, Hiei," came the reply. "It has been some time now, has it not?" Naraku appeared, beside his demon beast. It stood on two legs now, and in one clawed hand, the demon clutched the slayer.

Hiei's stomach tightened upon seeing this. He reached for his Katana. Ripping it from its sheath, he awakened his Jagan eye. It was a different color than his crimson eyes. The Jagan, instead, was a brilliant violet that swirled with a devastating demonic power. Despite himself, Hiei wished he had decided to help the slayer when she asked. She had swallowed her pride to ask for his assistance. She knew she couldn't win, and she had sought his help. Not only would she not be in the clutches of this stupid demon, but Hiei would have found Naraku that much sooner.

"Is your anger at me for this pathetic human, Hiei?" Naraku asked. "If she's that important to you, you can have her." With that, the beast tossed the slayer's limp body in the air.

Hiei lunged forward, catching her in his arms. He assessed that she was alive, but seriously wounded. He set her on the ground and stood to face Naraku once more. "Naraku. You end now!" Hiei's Jagan began to glow. "You will regret having ever laid your hands on Yukina. For this, you will die!"

Naraku laughed, and ordered his demon beast forward. The demon roared and slammed a clawed hand to the ground. It slashed its claws at Hiei, but the demon was laughably slow. Hiei dodged, and began to focus his energy on the attack that would destroy both Naraku and his pet. A black flame appeared around Hiei and began to form the shape of a serpent-like dragon. It was a beautiful, terrible sight to behold. The black-flamed dragon swirled around Hiei, waiting to do his bidding. "Dragon of the Darkness Flame!" exclaimed Hiei. "Destroy these demons!"

The dragon shot forward, mouth gaping menacingly, toward its two targets. The demon beast screamed in pain once consumed by the flames of the dragon. Hiei knew it was finished. Naraku was luckier. Hiei cursed, realizing he had summoned the dragon just a second too late. He could smell the thick miasma. Naraku was gone. Hiei slammed his fist into the ground in anger. The earth actually shook beneath his fury. 'Damn you to hell, Naraku! Damn me, for not succeeding this time!' thought Hiei. He couldn't even feel Naraku's presence anymore. How could a half-demon have escaped him again? How?

The dragon appeared at Hiei's side. 'I am sorry, my friend. I failed you.'

'No. It was through no fault of yours.' Hiei looked at his friend.

The dragon shrank itself in size, so that it could wrap itself around Hiei's arm. 'It has been too long.'

Hiei nodded. 'It has.' He watched as the flames of his friend's body licked at his arm. He felt no pain.

'You're thinking of Yukina, aren't you?'

'Of course I am.' Hiei sighed, turning towards the slayer. He walked to her, and knelt beside her unconscious body.

'I won't tell you not to worry, but I will tell you that Naraku won't kill Yukina. I can guarantee that. She's too valuable to him.' The black-flamed dragon tilted its head, looking at the girl. 'A friend of yours?'

Hiei snorted. 'Hardly.' He looked around. 'This girl had a nekomata with her.'

'Over there, look.' The dragon tilted his head in the direction he meant for Hiei to look. There was the neko. Like the slayer, she had been knocked out. She had a gash on her side, but it was already beginning to heal. She would be fine. Hiei left the slayer to retrieve the small cat. He lifted her into his arms, and the dragon left Hiei's arm. Hiei watched as his friend snaked his way around the slayer's body, much like a python would do to its prey. He lifted her gently into the air (Think of how Kikyo's soul collecters do for her.) 'Where to?'

'Follow me,' Hiei began walking back to the village. He hoped he wouldn't have to deal with that tiresome priestess, but he had a feeling he was hoping in vain.

Okay! So there's chapter 2! It's taking a different direction than I intended when I first started writing, but I just went with it! I hope it works! I've got the third chapter started, but it's not quite finished yet. It should be up by tomorrow afternoon at the very latest. I'm off to continue working on it right now. Happy readings!


	3. Chapter 3

Hiei returned to the village, carrying Kirara in his arms, with his black-flamed friend at his side, carrying the unconscious slayer. No one had come out of their homes yet, but Hiei knew he was being watched. He rolled his eyes. An audience; how annoying. He walked to the leader's house and waited outside. He knew the young man knew he was outside, and he also knew the young man wasn't going to hide. After a short time, the door opened. Hiro's eyes widened at the sight of Sango's body being held by a dragon that was on fire. The flames from its body danced all over Sango, yet she wasn't burned. How could this be? Hiei, sensing the lord's concern, rolled his eyes again and explained.

"Don't worry. Those who this dragon touches will only burn at the heat of his flames if he wishes them to," he said. "Now, may we enter? Neither of us means you any harm, as I said before to that priestess."

"Yes. I was awaiting only Sango's return. I had hoped she would come back uninjured," he said, stepping aside so they could enter.

"Well, you hoped in vain. I warned her she'd never be able to defeat that thing, even with her neko demon friend," he said, walking passed Hiro and into the house.

"Why did you return to save her, then?" he asked.

"That," Hiei said. "Is none of your concern. I had my reasons, but none of them were for this girl. After the demon was slayed, I simply decided I wasn't going to leave her in the forest to bleed to death." Hiei set the Kirara on the floor gently.

A voice entered Lord Hiro's mind, and it startled him, for the thought was not his own.

'Where do I place the girl? She is injured, and her wounds need to be treated. They aren't life threatening, but they are serious.'

Hiro turned to face the dragon, a huge question mark on his young face. The dragon nodded once, as if to say, "Yes, it was me."

"Uh…you may lay her in the futon, over there in the corner…" Hiro said, still bewildered. He shook his head to clear it, and then turned to face Hiei once more. "Thank you. Our village is in debited to you for what you have done."

"How do you even know I destroyed it?" Hiei asked, somewhat mockingly.

"Well, unless those terrible cries of pain in the forest earlier belonged to you…." Hiro trailed off, a smirk on his face.

'WHAT? Why the hell are you thanking him? His sorry ass was too lazy to destroy that thing, so what does he do? He called me! Sheesh. What's a dragon gotta do to get some recognition around here?' He laid Sango on the futon, unwrapping himself from around her, as instructed, then returned to the boys.

Hiei couldn't help but smirk. "He's right. You should thank him. He's the one who disposed of that demon."

Hiro blinked. He wasn't used to having his thoughts invaded by a dragon enveloped in black flames, which was most likely not even from this world. "Yes, um, well," he stammered. "I will just thank you both, then."

"Hn."

The dragon snaked his way around Hiro, as he had been around Sango just a moment ago. Hiro froze, and couldn't help but expect his body to be burned alive as he saw the dragon's flames travel all over his body.

'Relax.' The dragon was shaking with silent laughter.

Still shaken up a bit about being on fire, Hiro tried to laugh with him. "Now you're just messing with me," he said, trying to put some humor into his voice.

'You got it,' he unwound himself from Hiro and returned to Hiei. Hiro watched as the flames that once consumed his body seemed to evaporate into the air as the dragon left the proximity of his body. Hiei held out his arm, welcoming his friend, and the dragon wrapped himself around it.

"Shall we be on our way, Gyran?" Hiei asked, audibly this time.

'I suppose.' The dragon, apparently named Gyran, nodded.

"Please," Hiro said, wringing his hands. "There's no need to leave. Let us attempt to repay you in the morning."

"That's unnecessary," Hiei said, turning towards the door, Gyran still wrapped around his arm.

'Hiei,' Gyran considered. 'Don't you want to make sure the girl is okay? I mean, we took the time to save her and all.'

'You may do as you please, Gyran. I need to find Naraku and save Yukina.'

'You're not going to find him wandering around in the night. Do you even know what direction he escaped to? This girl is a demon exterminator. Maybe she knows something about Naraku. Slayers usually know things about the demons that plague this area. I bet anything she's heard of him.'

'So? What of it? Just because she might know who Naraku is, doesn't mean she could give me any useful information.'

'Who says she couldn't?' Gyran countered.

Hiei thought about what had happened the last time he left this girl without thinking; he had fucked up, and because of it, Naraku had escaped. Was Gyran right? He stared into the blue eyes of his friend. Those eyes swirled with knowledge, and they told Hiei to stay and talk to the slayer when she awoke. He turned, irritated, and said "We will stay for the night," to the young lord.

Hiro nodded, and sent word for a healer and a servant to show Hiei and his companion to a room.

The next morning, Sango was awake. The wound in her gut hurt, but not as much as some of the wounds she had received before. Sunlight poured into her room. She sat up slowly, wincing with pain. Her wound had been cleaned and bandaged, and for that she was grateful. A flashback of what had happened came back to her, and she wondered what had happened after she blacked out. She remembered the demon, the black beast she was supposed to destroy, but had she really seen Naraku? She couldn't be totally sure. Her head swam in confusion as she stood slowly. Kirara mewed and jumped into her arms.

"Kirara," she said sadly. "You've been hurt." She petted her friend lightly, and then ran her fingers gently over the bandage on her side. Kirara purred, then turned her head so that she could nudge Sango's hand with her nose. Sango smiled, cradling the kitten in her arms. She walked out of her room and into the hallway. She recognized where she was. She was at Hiro's house. She walked into the room where she and Hiro had talked for the first time, and to her surprise, he was there, but he wasn't alone. Sitting with him was the handsome demon from the evening before. Her eyes flitted to his right arm. Wound around it was a…dragon? Could that be a Dragon of the Flame?

She had been told of these dragons by her father. When they were born, they were known as Dragons of the Red Flame. At this point, they had no control over their powers, and would burn anything they touched. For this reason, they stayed in their own were fairly weak demons in power at this point. After some time, the dragons would grow and mature, and their flames, their very being would change from red to blue. Then they were called Dragons of the Blue Flame. At this point, they knew how to control the temperatures of their bodies, and the things they touched only burned if they wished. They became stronger, too. They were no longer small fry demons. She had been told that most dragons stayed this way. For the most part, they kept to themselves and rarely befriended anything outside of their own realm, for few had the power to leave it. Very rarely, or so she had heard, would a dragon advance passed the Blue Flame stage. If a dragon managed this, then it became what was known as the mighty and terrible Dragon of the Darkness Flame. Its blue flames would then turn to black, and its powers would grow exponentially. Was this dragon one of them? Somehow it wouldn't surprise her that this demon had found and befriended one. His aura was nothing short of extraordinary. She wondered how they had come to be together.

Hiro looked up and saw Sango standing in the doorway, her eyes fixed on Gyran. "Sango, you're awake," he said with a gentle smile.

Sango turned to face Hiro. "Yes, good morning."

"I've had my best healers attend to you. Lady Kikyo volunteered as well. She said you would make a full recovery, and that your injuries were nothing you wouldn't overcome soon," said Hiro.

"Thank you very much, my lord. I appreciate your hospitality and generosity very much. Thank you also for tending to Kirara," she said softly.

"We are all in debited to these two," Hiro said, gesturing to Hiei and Gyran. "They destroyed the demon and returned you and Kirara here."

'So that's how I returned here,' Sango thought. 'This demon left. Why did he return? Why did he bring me back?'

"Because I'm not nearly as heartless as that priestess seems to think I am. Close, but not quite," said Hiei, interrupting Sango's thoughts.

Her head snapped up. She glared at him. "Stay out of my head."

"Well that's no way to thank the one who didn't leave you in the forest to bleed to your death," Hiei scoffed.

'Actually, it was me,' Gyran thought, opening a line of communication to Sango. Sango watched as Gyran unwound himself from around Hiei's arm, and then snaked his way over to her. He wound himself around her shoulders. 'How are you feeling? Are you in much pain? Please excuse my dear friend Hiei. He's usually in a bad mood in the morning. Actually, he's usually in a bad mood regardless of what time of day it is. You'll have to forgive him. I, on the other hand, am much more pleasant company to be around.'

"Hn," said Hiei, folding his arms across his chest. "Get on with it, Gyran."

'Patience, Hiei.'

Hiro watched in mild amusement. He could "hear" everything Gyran was saying, and he found it funny that the two friends had such different personalities, it seemed.

"Um, well, thank you," Sango said aloud. "I am grateful to you, Gyran. I'm feeling all right at the moment, and no, I'm not in too much pain, only some discomfort. It will pass." She touched Gyran's neck tentatively, and watched as her fingers caught fire. It was the strangest sensation to her. She could feel the flames on her fingers, and noted that they felt cool in temperature.

"It's quite interesting, isn't it?" said Hiro. "He did that to me yesterday, and for a minute I was nearly scared out of my own skin."

"Yes," Sango said, answering Hiro. "Tell me," she turned her gaze to Gyran. "Are you a Dragon of the Flame?"

Gyran was mildly surprised. 'Smart girl,' he commented. 'Why, yes. Indeed I am. You see, Hiei? I told you this one might be educated in demons!'

'Hn,' was Hiei's only reply.

'Now I have a question for you. There is a demon Hiei seeks to destroy. I convinced him to stay for the night to talk to you once you awakened.'

"Okay," Sango said, tentaitively."I'll help any way I can."

Gyran nodded. 'Have you heard of a demon named Naraku?'

"Yes. I and several of my other friends seek to destroy him as well." Sango was curious now.

'Why do you seek to destroy such a demon?' Gyran asked, his "voice" cocky now. He knew Hiei was listening to their conversation, and he also knew Hiei was irritated at the fact that Gyran had been right.

"Because he has made my brother a slave, and to avenge my village. He slaughtered everyone. Kirara, Kohaku and I are the only ones left. I was sure I saw him last night, alongside that demon I sought to destroy, before I blacked out."

Gyran nodded. 'He was there. We tried to destroy him, but he escaped in a cloud of miasma. Again.'

"I see. Why do you seek to destroy him?" she asked.

"He has taken my sister." Hiei said shortly, before Gyran could answer. Well, it seemed they had more in common than he thought.

Sango's eyes widened. "The ice demoness with aquamarine hair?"

"You've seen her then?" Hiei asked, looking directly at her for the first time all morning.

"Only once. I knew she wasn't with Naraku by choice. I could see it in her eyes, I just didn't know the circumstances," she answered solemnly. "My friends and I tried to destroy him, but he escaped."

"Obviously. Let me guess. Your allies are a bunch of humans?" Hiei mocked

Sango balled her fists. She wanted to be grateful to this demon for the evening before, but how could she when he was so rude? Maybe Kikyo, though wrong in her reasons, was right to dislike this arrogant jerk. "My friends consist of a young priestess, a powerful monk who's left hand could send you to another dimention, and a dog DEMON. Yes, that's right. He's a demon! He also happens to be the younger son of the deceased great demon of the Western Lands."

'Please don't allow my friend to offend you,' Gyran soothed. 'Like I said. He's just a grouch.'

"His problems are not my fault, and I will not allow myself to be treated as such." Sango turned, about to walk away, when she was stopped.

Hiei appeared in front of her. "Tell me what you know about Naraku, woman."

"I will do no such thing." She felt Gyran release her shoulders. He returned to Hiei, his eyes flasing.

'You cannot expect her to cooperate when you insult her so, Hiei.'

"I am not going to waste my time with pleasantries." Hiei's eyes pierced hers. "Tell me what you know."

"No." Her eyes shone with fury.

Hiei took a breath, and a moment to consider. It was true, she hadn't done anything wrong. It was also true that who she chose to ally herself were not his concern. He looked at her again, his eyes still hard, but his impatience gone. "Please, Sango. Every day that passes, my sister and, yes, your brother suffer at the hands of that demon. I want to save my sister and return her to where she belongs. Can you give me information that might help me do that?"

Sango looked into his eyes. They were still cold and calculating, but she could tell that he spoke the truth. She sighed. "There's only one thing I might be able to offer you that you don't already know, and you might. I know not where he's hiding himself, or what he plans. I only know that he is a half demon. Every month, for about half of a day, half demons are forced to become vulnerable. They become human."

"How do you know this?"

"Because, the demon friend I spoke of before...he's...a half demon," she said reluctantly. She hand't wanted to reveal that about Inuyasha.

"When does he become vulnerable?"

"That's not my information to reveal. The point is, for normal half demons, it occurs on a certain day, every month. For Naraku, it doesn't. He somehow chooses the time when he becomes vulnerable. My old group wished to catch him on that night, but so far, we haven't had any such luck."

"I see."

"Would you two consider traveling together?" interrupted Hiro. "It seems you have a common interest. Isn't it logical?"

'I think so too, Hiei,' prodded Gyran.

"I left my group to find my own way. I don't wish to travel alongside anyone," said Sango.

"Don't be stupid. You stand a better chance of defeating Naraku if you ally yourself with powerful people," snapped Hiei.

"And you presume to be the one who could destroy Naraku?" came a soft, pretty voice. Hiei recognized this voice, and was instantly annoyed.

"Do you mock me, priestess?" he asked, without turning in her direction.

"No, I don't. Please, call me Kikyo," she said. "I only came to check on Sango. I couldn't help but over hear."

"Hello Lady Kikyo," said Sango. "I wish to thank you for cleaning my wound."

Kikyo waved her hand gently. "Don't mention it. You're feeling better, I see."

Sango nodded. "Yes."

"May I ask your name, demon?" she said, moving so that she was beside Sango and in front of Hiei.

"Why?" he questioned hotly.

"So that I may apologize for my behavior last night."

"Hn. Don't waste your breath."

"Please?" She reached out, placing her hand on his shoulder. To her surprise, he didn't move away.

He sighed. "Hiei."

"Hiei," she said, as if testing the name. "Forgive me for my actions. I was rash, and I accused you wrongly."

Hiei saw that her eyes were genuine. He nodded, saying nothing more to the girl. Perhaps she wasn't as irritating and tiresome as he thought. She removed her hand from his shoulder and stepped to the side. "Well, I'm off to start the day. Sango, please come see me before you leave. I have some things I'd like to give you."

"Yes, of course," she said, curious, as she watched Kikyo walk gracefully outside.

"So, what do you say?" Hiei asked, inflectionless.

"To what?" Sango asked.

"To joining me."

'And me.' Gyran chimed.

"What? You're coming now, too? Usually you return to your own realm after a while."

Gyran nodded. 'Is that a problem?'

"Do as you wish."

'I wish to stay with you.'

Hiei couldn't help but have a certain fondness for the dragon, though he'd never admit it aloud to anyone. "As you wish." He studied Sango a moment. "I'm still wating for an answer."

"I think it's a good idea, Sango, but then again, it's none of my business," murmered Hiro.

"Yes, I suppose you're right. I wished to travel alone, but I'm beginning to think it was a mistake. I can't do this by myself." Sadness suddenly gripped her heart. She bit her tongue, refusing to cry in front of them. What would they think of her? No, she wouldn't cry. "I will accompany you," she whispered.

Hiei nodded. "We leave tomorrow, then. I'll give you another day to rest." He turned to Hiro. "I take it none of that is a problem?"

"No, you may stay as long as you wish. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have things I need to do." He bowed his head to them, then took his leave.

Sango felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up, into Hiei's face.

"We will destroy him," he said, then without another word, left her to her thoughts.

Hiei walked outside. The sky was blue, and the day was bright. He stood in the doorway for a moment after he had shut it, and he heard Sango's muffled sobs. She was strong for a human, he had to admit. She was strong, period. He knew she was about to cry, but didn't want to show him or Gyran. He also knew that if they stayed in there much longer, she would cry whether she wanted to or not. He chose to let her have her dignity. She deserved that much, at least. He rubbed his temples, tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.

Okay! So there's chapter 3! The adventure will begin in the next chapter. It'll be up fairly soon, I hope. I got my first request for a couple! Wooo! I can't wait to get that underway. If you're reading this, please review! I want to know what you think. Hopefully making a character out of the Dragon of the Darkness Flame wasn't too cheesy. I really wanted to do it when the idea for this fic came to me, so yeah. Hopefully it makes the story better, not crappy. I'm going to start Chapter 4 sometime today. It might get finished, it might not. If it's not up by tonight, chances are it won't be up till Monday, at the latest. It's the weekend, people! Speaking of which, I hope you guys have a great and safe one. Also, still waiting on more couple requests. I might take them on, as long as a) I can see them fitting together and b) it doesn't conflict any with the one I've already recieved. Happy readings, everyone!

-Tremor'sGirl


	4. Chapter 4

Hello my readers! I'm sorry, sorry, sorry I'm barely updating. Life/writer's block/being glued to reading The Hunger Games has kept me occupied. Anyway! Thanks for waiting, and PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! I've noticed this story has been favored by some, which is AWESOME, but I'd like some reviews, too. =[ It's just a little bit discouraging…On a lighter note, here is the next chapter!

Sango spent most of the day in only the company of Kirara, and only emerging from her room for meals. Hiei sat with her at lunch, but neither said anything. When Sango was finished, she gave Hiei a smile that told him she appreciated his words earlier, and then retreated back to her room. For dinner, she was joined by Hiro. He gave her his gentle smile, but she wasn't willing to say much. She thanked him for his generosity and his hospitality, and he waved his hand, just as Kikyo had. Hiro was summoned away by one of his servants soon after that, having been told he was needed elsewhere, and he smiled apologetically before taking his leave. Sango went to bed with a heavy heart that night. She was so unsure of the future. She didn't want to think about it. She went to sleep, hoping to escape her thoughts, if only for a few hours.

She awoke the next morning, feeling somewhat better than she had going to sleep the night before. She took a bath, gathered her things, and walked to the sitting room where she was almost positive Hiei and Gyran would be waiting for her. They were.

"There's one more thing I need to do before we leave, then I'll be ready." she said.

Hiei nodded. "Kikyo?" he asked.

"Yes, she asked if I'd go see her before I left the village."

"I remember."

"I'll be right back," she said, going towards the door. She paused a moment. "Or…would you like to accompany me and say goodbye? You two did make amends yesterday after all."

'Yes, come on, Hiei, let's go with her,' chimed Gyran.

Sango couldn't help but smile. Hiei relented, as she suspected he would. He stood and followed her out the door. They found Kikyo wandering about, being followed by several laughing children. Sango smiled and wondered if this is how it had been in Kaede's village fifty years ago when she had been alive. Kikyo was gorgeous, but Sango couldn't help but think she would be even more stunning with rosy cheeks. Kikyo saw them coming towards her, and she sent the children off to play, reassuring them that she would return momentarily.

"Sango," she said kindly. "Are you leaving us today?"

"Hello Kikyo," said Sango. "Yes, we're leaving."

Kikyo nodded, reaching into her sleeve. She pulled out a small leather pouch that was kept closed with a drawstring. She untied the knot on the string and opened the pouch. She dropped a small circular gem onto her hand. The gem was clear in color, but inside, it appeared as if white mist was swirling. Sango stared at the gem for a moment.

"Where did you get that?" Hiei asked, rather stiffly.

Kikyo looked at him. "The black demon left it behind on the first night it attacked. I didn't know what it was, and still don't, but now that I know Naraku was using that black demon, it makes me wonder. I had planned on giving it to you, Sango..." she trailed off.

"Do you know what it is, Hiei?" Sango asked.

"My sister's tears," Hiei said. He was angry now, but he was doing his best to remain calm.

"Your sister's…tears?" asked Kikyo.

"When an ice demoness cries, her tears turn to gems. Gems just like that one you hold. That bastard demon has Yukina because she's his personal gem factory," Hiei said through gritted teeth.

"There does seem to be a demonic aura inside it. Is that why?"

"Yes. There's power in those gems. Those of an ice demoness are not nearly as strong as the Shikon jewel, and the power in them is more limited," said Hiei.

'Despite that, they still appear to be very valuable to him. Kind of like a substitute while he searches for the rest of the jewel shards.' Gyran added to all of them.

Kikyo placed the gem back in the pouch and grabbed Hiei's hand, startling him. She pressed the pouch into his palm with sadness and sympathy in her eyes. Yes. She was definitely less irritating than he first thought. "You should take this, then," she said softly.

Kikyo summoned one of the children who held a basket full of what appeared to be herbs. The child skipped forward with the basket and placed it at Kikyo's feet before scampering off to await her return with the other children. Kikyo reached into the basket and retrieved some herbs and placed them into Sango's hand.

"This herb treats swelling, this one treats infection, this one helps with pain. You know…just in case.." Kikyo trailed off again, not quite knowing how to finish.

"Thank you, Lady Kikyo," said Sango, gratefully.

She nodded, and sent them on their way with a smile that was both sad and hopeful.

They said their goodbyes to Hiro, and Sango was almost sad to be leaving the kind lord. Hiro wished them luck, and with that, they were off.

"Do you know where we should start looking?" Sango asked.

"I don't know any more than you. All I know is, we need to keep looking."

They traveled in the opposite direction of the forest, in the direction Hiei had planned on leaving before he returned in his attempt to kill Naraku. They traveled without saying much to one another, which was different for Sango. Traveling alone, she expected the silence, but traveling in the company of others, she couldn't help but expect some kind of interaction. Even Gyran said little. She wondered why, for he had been fairly "talkative" before. The next few days were long for Sango. She suspected Gyran and Hiei were speaking through telekinesis, because Hiei rarely spoke aloud anymore. Sango felt very alone, like she was separated from them even though she walked alongside them. She began to hope for them to run into Kagome, Miroku and Inuyasha. By the fourth day, the silence was almost unbearable. Sango was beginning to wish she really was alone when the sound of Hiei's voice broke the silence.

"How is your wound?" he asked.

Sango blinked. Had he really spoken to her just now? She turned her head slowly to look at him. His eyes were on hers, waiting for an answer. "It's doing better every day, thank you for asking," she murmured.

He cleared his throat. "Good," he said.

Sango was hoping for more conversation, but Hiei had gone silent again. She wanted to know more about him. She was more enamored with him than she would ever like to admit. Her face flushed at the thought. Did she have a crush on him? No! She couldn't! She peeked at him out of the corner of her eye. He was handsome alright, with his piercing red eyes and jet black hair. She sighed, returning her gaze to the road in front of her.

More days passed just as this one had. Hiei would ask a question, usually about her wound, and if it was healing okay, then he would retreat back into silence. On the ninth day, they passed through a village and received word of a dark miasma that had been seen traveling in the sky at night.

'At least we're traveling in the right direction,' commented Gyran.

Hiei nodded in silent agreement. Sango wondered how far Naraku was from them. Her thoughts drifted to Kohaku, and she suspected Hiei was thinking about Yukina. She wondered if he thought of Yukina as often as she thought of Kohaku. Hiei looked lost in thought as well. Sango looked at him and placed a hand on his shoulder as he had done to her before.

"We're going to get her," she said softly.

"Your brother, too," he replied.

"And Naraku will pay."

"For everything."

She nodded, and to her surprise, his gaze softened. It was only for a moment, and when he looked away, the hardness returned.

'It appears Hiei is beginning to like you.'

Sango looked at Gyran, a look of question in her eyes, and he nodded. After that, Sango felt it was easier to talk to Hiei. Their conversations were usually short, but he slowly began to speak more and more.

The days passed more easily for Sango. She told Hiei and Gyran about her village, about how the Shikon jewel was created there, and about the priestess, Midoriko. Hiei asked if Kirara had always been with her, and she explained that Kirara had been with the slayers for generations. At the age of seven, her father had told Sango that she was from then on to take care of Kirara. It was one of the happiest days she could remember. She talked fondly of her father, Kohaku, and the other slayers in her village. She told them about that awful night when they had gone after a demon that was supposedly attacking a village, and how it had all been a trap set by Naraku. It was painful for her to talk about the destruction of her entire village, and the deaths of everyone she held dear except Kohaku and Kirara, but somehow, Hiei's presence made it easier. He and Gyran began to feel like a soothing balm on a bad burn.

Hiei told her about Yukina, and how she was only his half sister. (He knew Sango had been burning to ask him how he had a sister who was a demoness of the opposite element of his own.)He told her that they had the same mother, but their fathers were different. He was a forbidden child, and technically only half fire demon. He was banished from the Realm of Ice where he was born, and as an infant, he was supposed to be killed. He survived, and spent most of his life after that alone. She asked questions, wondering if he produced tear gems as Yukina did. He reached into his pocket and pressed a small gem into her hand. It looked identical to Yukina's, but the mist that appeared to swirl around inside it was a vivid blue instead of white. It was one of the most beautiful things she had ever wondered silently what had caused him to cry the tear she held. He had simply shrugged and told her she could have it. The next day, he saw the gem strung on a leather cord around her wrist. Sango asked how Gyran and Hiei had met, and Gyran had piped up and explained how Hiei had saved his life from the most powerful water demon he had ever come across. He was only a Dragon of the Blue Flame back then, and several times weaker than the mighty water serpent. Gyran had unknowingly gone into its territory and was attacked. He was badly weakened by the time Hiei showed up. After that, Gyran swore his loyalty to him, and would appear whenever he was summoned. Hiei began to talk of a fox demon, who was also a friend of his. His name was Yoko, apparently, and he was a mightly, ruthless demon. Hiei and Yoko ran into each other every now and then, but for the most part, Hiei was alone.

"You don't have to be alone anymore, Hiei," Sango said softly. "You have us."

'Yes, so you have got to stop being such a grouch,' added Gyran playfully.

Hiei's eye caught the sparkle of the gem dangling on Sango's wrist, and he sighed, almost happily.

That night, after setting up camp and retiring for the night, Hiei couldn't help but watch Sango as she slept.

'You care for her now,' Gyran chimed.

'And you care a little bit too much about that fact,' Hiei shot back.

'She cares for you, too.'

'How could you possibly know that?'

'I can tell by the way she peeks at you when we're walking. When you speak, she listens, really listens. She wants to know more about you and she cares about what you have to say.'

Hiei considered that a moment. 'Even if that's true, after Naraku is gone, she won't stick around. She'll go off on her own again. She'll want to put her life back together.'

'Don't be so sure. You're right about the probability that she'll want to put her life together again, but who's to say she's just going to up and go away?'

'She did to her other friends.'

'She might not have been happy. Maybe she felt like she just wasn't meant to be with them.'

'And what makes you think she feels like she's meant to be with us? Hm?'

'She's happy, or at least as unmiserable as she could possibly be, given the circumstances.'

'Hn.'

'You'll see. I know what I'm talking about. Goodnight, Hiei.'

After Gyran had gone silent, Hiei couldn't help but think that his friend was rarely ever wrong. He shoved the thought away. No one was right all the time, and Gyran definitely wasn't right about this. 'He couldn't be right,' thought Hiei. 'Even if I wanted him to be...'

Okay, my lovely readers. I hope that was worth the wait. I wrote, then deleted, then rewrote part of this chapter. I wanted to bring Sesshomaru in, but I decided to wait until Sango and Hiei were friendlier with one another. Should I have dragged on Hiei's dismissiveness longer? I thought about doing that, and I still don't know that I made the right choice. I guess I'm just itching to get closer to the HieixSango romance… PLEASE review. Let me know! Does this chapter need a makeover? I'm going to write one more chapter, and Lord Sesshomaru will definitely make his first appearance. Uhem. If I don't receive reviews after this next chapter, I'm not going to continue until I do. This chapter's a little short, so I'm sorry. I promise the next one will be longer. :)

R E V I E W P L E A S E ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !


	5. Chapter 5

It was cold. Unbearably, freezing cold. A cold like this could only exist in the Realm of Ice. Hiei could only see blackness around him, and Yukina in front of him. She was running towards him, a petrified look on her face. Hiei shot forward. He was running towards her now, but they weren't getting any closer to each other. Yukina stretched out her arm towards him, and Hiei ran faster. Why couldn't he reach her? Winter winds howled around him. He hated the feeling. It was like he could feel the cold straight down to his soul. A grotesque figure with elongated limbs, and a body held together by several mutilated demons appeared behind Yukina. Naraku! Alongside him, a black fire demon that looked like a huge hunchbacked dog with hands instead of paws. Naraku snatched Yukina into his grasp-

"Hiei!"

Someone was calling his name. It wasn't Yukina. There was only inky blackness around him now. Naraku had taken her, and he, along with his black mutt of a demon were gone.

"Hiei!"

The voice was familiar. He looked around him. He saw only darkness.

"Hiei!"

The voice was growing more desperate. He looked around again. Frustrated now, he slammed down hard on his knees and slammed his fist into the ground beneath him that he couldn't see. Who was calling him? The voice was familiar. He knew the voice but couldn't remember who it belonged to. The cold around him was beginning to leave his body. How could this be? He was in the Realm of Ice wasn't he? He felt warmth, though he knew not where it was coming from.

"Hiei!"

"I'm here," he answered it. Anything to calm the voice. It seemed worried, distressed. Someone who cared for him, maybe? Yes. That had to be it. He dismissed the thought. He didn't mean anything to anyone except for Gyran, and that wasn't Gyran's voice. Who, then, would call out his name so desperately? A face flashed in his memory. His head snapped up, looking around again. It dawned on him. "Sango!" he called out.

"Hiei!" she answered.

Where was she? He felt invisible arms wrap around him, and he tried to shake free. They were warm, but he couldn't see who they belonged to.

"HIEI!"

Hiei awoke to Sango calling his name. He felt cold. Sango had him wrapped in her arms, and Hiei found that he didn't want to move away.

"Sango," he said softly.

"Finally, you're awake," she murmured. "You were dreaming…"

"Yes," he answered stiffly. He felt her hands run along his arms.

"Why are you so cold?" she asked.

"I don't know," he said, and he didn't. It was a warm summer night. He shouldn't be cold at all. He remembered the coldness he felt in his dream, and it made him shudder. Never again would he return to the Realm of Ice. Maybe that was why Yukina had left…No. What an absurd idea. She was an ice demoness. The cold couldn't possibly bother her. The dream came back to him with such a force that it knocked the wind out of him. The unbearable cold. The inky darkness all around. Yukina, and the look on her face. How she desperately ran towards him, yet she never got any closer than when she began. And then finally Naraku taking her away. Maybe Yukina wasn't running towards him. Maybe she hadn't even seen him. Her outstretched hand might have been to someone else. He wondered if that had actually been the scenario of her capture by Naraku. He looked at Sango. "I could hear you," he said.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"In my dream. I could hear you. I couldn't see anything after Naraku took Yukina. She was running towards something. I thought it was me, now I'm not so sure. Or maybe I'm looking too much into it. Anyway, she was running from Naraku. I tried to reach her, to save her. He took her, and then there was nothing but the darkness and the cold. Then I heard your voice."

"Oh, Hiei…" She pressed his head to the front of her shoulder, so her chin was touching his forehead.

"You brought me out of that dream. I didn't know who was calling me, then I saw your face. After that, it wasn't so cold. It started to dissipate a little bit. Then I woke up."

Sango smiled gently. "What do you mean you didn't know it was me?" she asked playfully. She cleared her throat dramatically. "What? Is my voice not memorable enough?"

Hiei snorted. "Apparently not."

"I don't like you anymore," she playfully pushed him away, but then quickly pulled him back again.

Hiei rolled his eyes, but said nothing more. She drifted off to sleep, and he followed soon after.

The next morning, Hiei woke to being curled up against Sango, and he remembered the night before. He looked up to see Gyran's piercing blue eyes looking straight at him. He was shaking with silent laughter. Hiei moved her arms off of him and stood. He gathered their things to start the journey again, determined to not let Gyran get to him.

'You dreamed last night. She was worried about you.'

'Yes, and thank you for YOUR concern.'

Gyran grinned. 'I was right.'

'Shut up, and get ready to leave.'

Gyran's eyes flashed. His good mood had dissipated.

Hiei sighed, walking over to his friend. He held out his arm, and Gyran hesitated, before sliding forward and wrapping himself grumpily around it.

'She doesn't care for me that way, Gyran.'

'You'll see, Hiei,'

'And I don't care for her that way either. We have a mutual goal, and that's it. Period.'

'You can lie to yourself all you want, but please don't lie to me. I'm not stupid. I know what I saw last night. She held you close and you didn't want to move away from her. You LIKED actually being close to someone for ONCE in your life. Quit being such an icicle. For a fire demon, you're terribly cold.'

'Half fire demon,' he corrected.

'Whatever,' Gyran unwound himself from Hiei's arm, still slightly annoyed.

Once Sango was awake, they continued on their jouney. Gyran prodded Hiei to talk to Sango, but he refused, and so they traveled in silence. Sango noticed it, too. She had begun to like traveling with them both because they were beginning to ease her loneliness and pain, but today….today was just like it had been before. What was going on? Was it last night? Sango looked down at the ground as she walked. She had been so stupid! What had she been thinking? She couldn't deny her feelings for him, that was for sure. Obviously, he didn't feel the same. He had had a nightmare and needed some comforting. That was all. She thought of Yukina. Beautiful Yukina. She was all Hiei cared about besides Gyran. Of course. She looked at the gem on the cord tied around her wrist. She watched the blue swirl around inside it for a long time. She was lost in her thoughts for a long time.

Hiei jumping in front of her and ripping his katana from his sheath startled her, and when she looked up from the ground, she could see Sesshomaru coming towards them. Ah-Uh floated overhead, carrying Jaken, the imp, and a smiling, laughing Rin.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" she called. "Look, it's one of Inuyasha's friends!"

"Hmph. It's just the slayer," grumbled Jaken.

Sesshomaru walked towards them. He raised an eyebrow when his eyes caught Hiei.

"Hiei," Sango said. "It's just Sesshomaru." She stepped beside him, deftly pushing the arm that held the katana down. "Hello, Sesshomaru."

'Who is Sesshomaru?' Gyran asked.

"My friend Inuyasha's older brother," she answered.

"Sango," Sesshomaru said simply. He looked bored.

Sango nodded. "I'm guessing you're looking for a trail that might lead to Naraku."

"Indeed. Have you found any leads?"

"We passed by a village a few days ago, and several people told us that they'd seen him traveling in the direction you came," she said. "You hadn't seen a trace of him?"

"No," he said simply.

Hiei swore.

"Hmm.." Sesshomaru considered. "I take it you seek to destroy him as well, then." He said, eying Hiei critically.

Hiei said nothing, he only simmered silently.

"Sango," said Sesshomaru. "Where are Inuyasha and the others you used to travel with?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen them in a while now," Sango said regretfully.

"Why did you leave them to travel with this one?" Sesshomaru tilted his head towards Hiei.

"That," Hiei said before Sango could answer. "Is none of your business. She told you all she knows, so you can be on your way now."

'Hiei,' Gyran warned. 'I wouldn't cross this one.'

Hiei ignored the warning. He returned Sesshomaru's critical look.

"Such insolence," noted Sesshomaru.

Rin peeked over the side of Ah-Uh to look at what was happening down below. "Master Jaken, what's going on?"

Jaken scoffed. "Silly girl, Lord Sesshomaru is obviously trying to get information about Naraku from those pathetic souls. That demon has a lot of nerve speaking to Lord Sesshomaru so disrespectfully. Why, he's lucky he's still alive for being so rude."

Down below….

"Sango," said Hiei. "Let's be on our way."

Sango bowed her head to Sesshomaru. "Forgive me," she muttered as they walked passed him. She felt a hand on her arm and she was turned around gently, but firmly, to face Sesshomaru. Hiei saw this and gritted his teeth.

"There's nothing in that direction, I'm telling you now. Trust me, if there was, I wouldn't be here."

"You don't think he's back there, then," she said.

"I know," he corrected.

Sango didn't know what to say. She could only consider his words.

"If you don't mind, you can take your hand off her now," Hiei said, his irritation at Sesshomaru growing every second.

"If it bothered me, I would have told him myself," Sango said, coldly. She turned her attention to Sesshomaru. "Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru. I appreciate the information you've given us. Perhaps the villagers were mistaken."

"Or perhaps he sensed my, or someone else's presence, perhaps Inuyasha, and changed his direction," he said, pulling his hand away.

"Yes, maybe…" she was considering what he had said.

"We'll keep looking then," said Hiei.

"Yes, but where should we?" she asked. "I wonder if Inuyasha knows anything useful…"

"I'll be on my way then," said Sesshomaru, and with that, he took his leave.

"Pompous, arrogant, piece of…" he trailed off.

'You're one to talk,' grumbled Gyran. He snaked his way over to Sango and wrapped himself around her shoulders. Sango couldn't help but watch as her body was enveloped in flames. It had been so long since Gyran had come so close to her. 'What do you think, Sango?'

"I don't know anymore…" she said sadly.

Days passed, and things remained the same. Hiei pulled back into his silence, and Sango had only Gyran and Kirara for companionship. They decided to travel to the west, instead of the north, which was the direction they had been traveling. Hiei had his nightmares every night, and Sango would awaken him like she had the first time he had it, but she was loath to touch or talk to him after he was awake. She would clutch a clump of Kirara's fur and long for his closeness, but she refused to act on it. She wasn't going to reach out to him again, if he was just going to retreat away from her the way he had before. No. She wasn't going to let that happen again. She wasn't going to set herself up for failure. Gyran reassured her every now and then that he was sure Hiei would come around, but every day that passed he was less and less sure of his own words. It was the fourth week of them traveling together, and Gyran woke Hiei early in the morning. Sango and Kirara were still asleep, and Hiei was tired and groggy.

'We need to have a talk,' snapped Gyran.

Hiei yawned. 'About what?

'About you,' Gyran nodded towards the sleeping slayer. 'And her.'

'What about us?'

'You've pretty much broken her heart. Have you even noticed, or have you been wrapped up in your own "Hiei world?"'

'I don't know what you mean.'

Gyran scoffed. 'Of course you don't.'

'Get off my case, Gyran.'

'Not likely.' He was getting angry now.

'Mind your own business.'

Gyran rolled his eyes. 'Somehow, for some reason, I care about you, Hiei. I want you to be happy, not just coast through, being alive, but not living.'

'Again, mind your own business.'

'Fine.' He was exasperated. 'Go back into your mental cave. Don't let her in, even though that's what she wants second ONLY to rescuing her brother, and your sister. She thinks of Yukina, you know. But it's fine, Hiei. Drown her in misery and loneliness while she travels with us. She's considered leaving—'

'Let her go, then. I won't stop her.'

'But she won't. She won't because she cares about Yukina, and you, and me.'

'Then that's her choice.'

'You're a fool.' And with that, Gyran turned away from him, almost in disgust.

Hiei had a long time to think before Sango woke up, most of the reason being that he couldn't go back to sleep. He resolved that when she awoke, he would talk to her.

Whew. Okay my dear readers! I hope this chapter makes up for the last one, and also for not updating on Monday like I said. I hope you enjoyed it, and to MoonOfYomi, and SangoIchimaru, you guys are most of my incentive to keep going. Thank you also, to those who have favorited this story. For you Sesshomaru lovers, don't worry, he'll be back. I plan on giving him a bigger role in this story, I just need to figure out how to go about it. x) Anyway, I have a few things to do now, (Bleh) so yeah. Happy readings! I'll update soon. =D Promise, promise.

-Tremor'sGirl.


	6. Chapter 6

When Sango awoke, Hiei couldn't seem to be able to bring himself to talk to her like he planned. She gathered up her things in silence, petted Kirara, and when camp was packed up, they were off again. They walked in silence for a long time, all the while Sango could feel some sort of tension between them and she didn't know why. She peeked at Hiei out of the corner of her eye for a moment, but he was looking straight ahead. His stare was just as hard as it had been the first night she had met him. Her heart sank just a little bit lower as she realized this.

Gyran nudged Hiei on the shoulder. 'I know you want to talk to her. Why don't you?' he asked tentatively.

Hiei sighed, extending his arm to his friend the way he always did when he wanted to talk. Gyran took this as a positive sign and floated forward towards his friend, wrapping himself around his arm. 'Gyran, this isn't as easy as you seem to think it is.'

'What?' Gyran asked. 'Having a companion?'

'I have you.'

'You know what I mean.'

Hiei sighed. 'This isn't meant to be, Gyran. We have a common goal, as I said before. She seems to know more about Naraku than I, and I have more strength than she. We're beneficial to each other for the moment.'

'Is that what you're trying to convince yourself of?' Gyran asked, half teasing.

Hiei gave no response. He only turned his attention to the sky. He could see several insect-like things flying overhead. It only took him a second to realize what they were. "Sanyoshou!" he said aloud.

Sango had already noticed them. Kirara transformed and Sango mounted her. "Let's follow them, Kirara."

Kirara growled in agreement and they took off into the sky without a glance backward.

'See?' Gyran asked, unwinding himself from around Hiei's arm. 'She doesn't even feel like one of us anymore.'

Hiei swore. What was she thinking, taking off without them that way? In a burst of black flames, Gyran flared his body so that he was as thick around as Kirara and floated beside Hiei. Hiei mounted his friend with a nod that said "thank you," and they took off after Sango and her nekomata. After a short time, Gyran caught up to them, and together they followed the Sanyoshou.

'Sango,' Gyran pressed gently. 'Please don't just up and leave us that way again.'

Sango turned her head to face Gyran for a moment, and his blue eyes bored into hers for a moment before she relented with a slight nod. The crescent shaped blades of wind energy came at Sango so fast, Kirara barely managed to move out of the way in time.

'Where did those come from?' Sango wondered frantically. She hadn't even sensed a demonic aura, but she knew it had to be Kagura's Dance of Blades.

"Look up," said Hiei.

Sango did as she was told, and lo and behold, there she was. She floated gracefully atop her giant white feather. Kagura. Slightly higher than she, and a little bit further back, floated Naraku, elongated limbs and a figure so grotesque, Sango could barely stand to look at him. Hiei only half noticed Naraku, though, because at the bottom of the circular barrier that surrounded him, sat Yukina. She didn't look scared like she had the one time Sango had seen her. She had probably realized that Naraku wasn't going to kill her because she served a purpose for him still. Instead, she looked sad, like her spirit was broken. Sango's heart ached for the lovely ice demoness.

"Gyran," said Hiei. "Can you break that barrier?"

'Should be able to,' Gyran stared at Sango's assailant. 'What of the wind sorceress?'

"She'll have to go, also," said Hiei.

Gyran nodded.

Naraku floated forward, so that he was in front of Kagura now. "Hiei, it seemed I was right about the slayer being important to you."

Hiei gritted his teeth in disgust. "What of it?"

Naraku sneered. "Demons who ally themselves with humans are a disgrace. It's laughable. What use to you is she?"

Hiei clenched his fists, trying not to lose his temper. Instead, he smirked. "If I recall correctly from what I've learned from this 'worthless slayer', you're the one who desired Kikyo in your past life. In fact, you sold your body to a hoard of demons and took on the form you have now just for her." He snickered. "But you didn't get your way, did you? You ended up killing her, and now that she's been resurrected, the mere sight of her causes you pain, yet you look down on me for allying myself with this one?" He said, gesturing to Sango." You're a joke, Naraku."

Despite the situation, Sango couldn't help but be shocked at Hiei's words. Had he just admitted that she was important to him? What more had she missed when he encountered Naraku that first night that neither Hiei nor Gyran had told her?

"Unwise words for someone to say when he has so much to lose," Naraku said, glaring down at Hiei.

"Gyran," said Hiei.

'I'm on it. That barrier's coming down.' Hiei did a back flip off of Gyran, making eye contact with Kirara. She shot forward, and Sango caught Hiei by the wrist, pulling him up onto Kirara, behind her.

"Nice moves," he said.

She only nodded. Gyran lunged towards Naraku, mouth opened in a menacing grin. Gyran was faster than Naraku anticipated, and he was shocked when Gyran slammed into the barrier, shattering it. Naraku swore, reaching down and grabbing Yukina roughly by the shoulder. He yaknked her up, so she was in front of him. Kirara roared and flew forward. "Go for Naraku. I'll handle Kagura," said Sango.

"You, handle her?" asked Hiei.

"Don't underestimate me, just do it," Sango said through clenched teeth.

Hiei stood on Kirara's back, placed both hands on Sango's shoulders, and flipped forward. He went high into the air, and was swiftly caught by Gyran. Sango saw him rip the bandana off of his forehead and toss it into the wind.

"Show off," she muttered, turning her attention to Kagura. Kagura smiled, holding her fan in front of the bottom half of her face. Kirara floated slowly towards Kagura. Sango had to stop herself from looking behind her to Hiei and Gyran. Kagura was hers to deal with. She raised her Hiraikotsu over her head. 'What have I gotten myself into?' she asked herself as she threw the heavy weapon with all her might. She knew she wasn't stronger than Kagura. Inuyasha was stronger than she was and not even he could destroy her the first time he had fought her. Kagura waved her fan, and with a gust of its wind, sent Sango's weapon back towards her. "Not this time," she said, remembering how Naraku had wounded her with her own weapon once before. She raised her arm and caught the Hiraikotsu by the leather strap fastened to one of its edges.

"I know you're just trying to keep me busy. You know you can't destroy me, and you're hoping I won't manage to destroy you. Isn't that right?" Kagura asked, a smile splayed upon her pretty face. "Unfortunately for Naraku, I want your boyfriend to win as much as you do. I'm not going to kill you, but just so I don't get punished, I can't let you near Naraku."

Sango was taken aback by Kagura's words. Part of her didn't know what to think. She knew Kagura hated Naraku, but what would become of her if he was destroyed? Would she really have her freedom? The other part of Sango was angered. Kagura had basically said she was just toying with her. 'I'm not having any of that.' She thought. "Kirara, go forward, and please do your best to dodge the blades," Sango whispered to her friend.

Meanwhile…

Gyran shot towards Naraku, Hiei hanging onto his side. Hiei let go of Gyran and went not for Naraku, but for Yukina. Hiei got close to Yukina, but not close enough before he was swatted roughly away by one of Naraku's several extra limbs. This particular one was barbed and sharp. It cut into his skin, and Hiei winced in pain upon hitting the ground. His attention went to Sango for a moment. Kirara had managed to get close enough to Kagura, and he looked just in time to see Sango jump off of the neko and onto Kagura's feather. He saw a blade fling out of Sango's sleeve, and with a swipe of her arm, she slashed at Kagura's hand, causing her to release her precious fan. It was caught and set on fire by Kirara. Sango's fist met Kagura's jaw and sent her flying off of the feather. The feather then became unsteady beneath Sango's weight, and she jumped off of it, and onto Kirara once again. Angry, Kagura summoned the feather back to her. It caught her before she hit the ground. She sent a single blade of wind from her hand. "I don't need the fan to take you on, wench!" The blade hit Sango, sending her flying off of her friend and towards the ground.

Hiei lunged forward and jumped into the air, catching her in his arms. "Sango!" he exclaimed. He looked her over. She had been hit in one of the hard plates of her armor.

"I'm fine, Hiei. Thanks." She looked up to see her friend dart forward and sink her sabre teeth into Kagura's shoulder. She heard a cry of pain before a blade of wind was sent into Kirara's side. She roared in pain, releasing Kagura from her jaws and moving away. "KIRARA!" exclaimed Sango.

"I'm not going to die here. Damn it, Naraku! You can deal with these wretches!" She pressed a hand to her wounded, but somehow not bleeding, shoulder and made her retreat. She would surely be punished by Naraku but she didn't care.

Kirara flew down to Sango and Hiei. Sango assessed that her wound was probably painful, but not too serious. "Kirara…" she trailed off for a moment. "I'm so sorry."

Kirara bumped Sango's chest with her nose and motioned for both of them to get on. They did and she flew up, towards Gyran and Naraku.

'It's about time,' Gyran thought to them, a scowl on his face.

"Sorry Gyran," said Sango apologetically.

'Anyway, I can't get close enough to him to inflict any kind of damage at all. He's using Yukina as a shield.'

Sango's eyes met the ice demoness's for a split second. Sango knew she had to be saved. She also knew Yukina was important to Naraku. He wouldn't let her get hurt. "Hiei. Rush him. Please trust me. I know you won't hurt Yukina. I have a plan."

Hiei thought for a moment, then nodded, having decided to trust in her. He stood on Kirara's back, and putting his hands on Sango's shoulders, did his round off, flinging himself towards Naraku, katana unsheathed and in his hand. Naraku's eyes windened in fear.

'Now's my chance' thought Sango. She stood on Kirara's back as Hiei had, but instead she simply leapt off of her nekomata and towards Naraku. By the time he took his attention off of Hiei and noticed her launching herself at him, it was too late. Hiei slashed him in the chest, and Sango flung her Hiraikotsu into his face. She grabbed ahold of Yukina's kimono, wrenched her free of Naraku's grasp, then landed a kick in his gut, her momentum pushing her away from him. Gravity did the rest. Unfortunately, she wasn't falling quickly enough. Naraku stretched out an elongated limb towards Yukina, attempting to grab her back again. Sango had let go of the Hiraikotsu when she nailed Naraku in the face, and she knew she didn't have enough time to reach for her Katana. She held Yukina tight-and suddenly she was on the ground. Hiei had grabbed ahold of Sango and Yukina before Naraku had managed to, and teleported them all to safety below. She and Yukina were in his arms. Sango blinked, unable to comprehend the incredible speed of this demon. Naraku floated above them, rage in his eyes. A few moments later they were joined by Kirara, and Hiei set a barrier around them all. He let go of Sango and Yukina, his eyes finding Naraku's. The Jagan glowed violet with a terrible power. "I wouldn't try breaking this barrier. Trust me when I say you won't be able to."

Gyran, still up in the air, smiled a wicked smile at Naraku. He shot forward, and Naraku was consumed in black, hotter-than-molten-hot flames. Various bits and pieces of Naraku fell to the ground around Hiei, Sango, Kirara and Yukina. Every one of them was consumed in black flame. Gyran suddenly tasted miasma. He saw a white light emanating from Naraku's chest, and suddenly he was gone. Gyran roared a roar so angry and terrifying, that it sent chills of fear down Sango's back. She clutched the ice demoness closer, and patted her back soothingly.

Yukina cried in Sango's arms. She looked down at their feet and saw Yukina's tears scattered all around. "It's all right. You're safe now. He's never going to hurt you again."

Yukina pulled away. "Thank you, thank you," she sobbed. "You saved me." After a few moments more, she composed herself, reluctantly releasing the girl who'd freed her from that awful demon.

Hiei looked at Sango, and the next thing she knew, she was in his arms. "What the hell were you thinking, huh? That was crazy and stupid! You told Gyran you weren't going to do anything like that again! Stupid girl, you stupid girl."

"I told you I had a plan."

"Yes, and if I had known what your plan was, I would never have done what you asked."

"I got her, didn't I? Isn't that what you wanted?" she snapped.

He let go, and put his hands on both sides of her face, "I didn't want to lose you, and I thought for a second, Naraku was going to send his claws straight through your heart."

Sango looked at him. "I knew I could do it." Her tone was softer now.

Hiei pulled her against him again, not saying anything more. He sighed, a kind of relief he couldn't explain came over him when she slipped her arms around him, too.

Okay! So I hope this was worth the wait. I'm sorry I'm updating so late. I know I'm suppost to update twice a week, but writer's block has kicked my ass. Then, when I figured out how I wanted this chapter to play out, it took some time to plan. The next chapter is going to be half about SangoxHieixGyranxKirara, then half about a lovely wind sorceress we all know and love. MoonOfYomi, if you're still reading this story (Which I hope you are!) this next chapter is dedicated to youuu. SangoIchimaru, THANK YOU for your support, and also thank you to EVERYONE(!) who has favorite this story. Everytime I get an email update saying this story has been favorite or followed, it makes me smile. I've also been favorited as an author and I LOVE IT! You guys are amazing! Happy Monday! If you're reading this today I hope this makes the beginning of your week a little bit better. :)


	7. Chapter 7

Hello my lovely readers. Before I start writing this story, I'd like to thank Culebra del Sol, whom I forgot to thank in my last chapter because I'm a forgetful dork. Thank you for your review. To answer you, I know there are some slight character differences, but I really tried my best to keep Hiei in character as best as I could. Your review made me smile, and it was much appreciated. Here's to SangoIchimaru as well. Thank you very much. Your support throughout writing this fic has been more encouraging than you know. Also to Animechic32541, who seriously took the time to read and review all of my chapters yesterday. It was great to know I'm still getting a few readers, and your feedback was encouraging as well. Thank you! Also again, to everyone else who has favortited and followed this story. You guys are awesome. I'm also guessing since you took the time to fav/follow, you like this fic too. Without further adeu, here is chapter 7! Enjoy!

Kagura pulled her kimono over her broken shoulder. She cursed Sango and Kirara both as she flew alone through a cluster of mountains. Her shoulder hurt terribly and it wasn't healing the way her other wounds usually did. Her vision was blurry, and she was seeing one mountain as many. She shook her head in a futile attempt to clear it. Her vision was still foggy and her head began to pound. She gritted her teeth, pressing a hand to her forehead. She didn't even know where she was going, or in which direction. All thoughts of everything but the pain ceased for her. Even the prospect that she was going to receive a painful and terrible punishment from Naraku when she saw him again didn't matter to her. Maybe this was her punishment. She was no longer able to concentrate, and the giant feather she rode became unsteady beneath her. She tried to steady it again, but was unable to focus her powers enough. She cursed and settled for gliding it to the ground. Kagura had to lie down on the feather when she felt land beneath her, and she desperately hoped for unconsciousness to come.

"Lord Sesshomaru!"

Sesshomaru looked up above him to Rin, who was riding atop Ah-Un. It was a bright and sunny day with clear skies. "Yes, Rin?" he asked, sounding rather bored.

"Look my lord!" she said, pointing to something of interest out in front of her.

"What is she yapping about now?" grumbled Jaken, who was walking beside Sesshomaru. He squinted his eyes to try to pinpoint what Rin was pointing to.

"My lord!" called Rin. "It looks like Kagura!"

"Kagura?" wondered Sesshomaru. He continued forward until he saw that it was indeed Kagura. She was laying atop her feather still, with her left shoulder exposed. The skin was broken there, and it was a gruesome wound to behold. Sesshomaru deftly wondered what had happened.

"Hmph. Rin was right. It really is the wind sorceress. What are we going to do, my lord?" asked Jaken. "Shall we kill her? After all, she is one of Naraku's damned incarnations."

Sesshomaru was silent for a short while. He was considering Jaken's question. What was she doing here? Did this mean Naraku was close by? He closed his eyes and focused on the area around him, trying to pick up any trace of Naraku's scent or of his aura. He picked up neither. If Naraku wasn't nearby, which Sesshomaru was now sure he wasn't what did this mean?

Tenseiga pulsed suddenly, slightly startling Sesshomaru. "Tenseiga. Do you wish to be drawn?" he asked. The sword pulsed twice more. He pulled it from its sheath, studying it a moment, and then slashed the unconscious demoness through the chest. A blue light enveloped his slash mark, and another enveloped her shoulder wound. He sheathed the sword again and watched her wound seal, revealing flawless skin again.

A moment later, she stirred. She sat up, rubbing her temples. When she looked up, the first thing she saw was the imp, Jaken. Startled, she jumped slightly, and when she looked up, she saw a graceful dog demon with silver hair that flowed like the wind itself. He had eyes as bright as gold, with demonic markings which consisted of two stripes on each of his cheeks, and his wrist, along with a blue (It is darkish blue, right guys?) crescent moon on the center of his forehead, between his brows. It was the demon she loved, Lord Sesshomaru.

"Hm," he considered. "You're awake."

"Yes," she said simply, not knowing what else to say. She pulled her kimono over her now healed shoulder and cinched it around herself. She didn't know why her broken shoulder was perfect again, or how long she had been in that coma-like state.

"What happened to you? Where is Naraku?" asked Sesshomaru.

"I was attacked by the slayer who traveled with Inuyasha. Her neko managed to clamp her jaws on my shoulder," she muttered.

"A wound you most likely deserved, I'll bet," he commented.

"Hmph. I was only following orders."

"I see. Where is Naraku now?"

"I haven't a clue, honestly," she said.

"Do not lie to me, demoness."

She looked into his golden eyes. "I speak the truth. Naraku decided to leave his hiding place in the mountains to find another. We were found by the slayer and two other demons while traveling."

"A black haired fire demon with a Jagan eye and a black Dragon of the Flame, am I right?"

"Yes."

"I see. And why do you not know the fate of Naraku?"

"Because I was taken by the slayer while the other two demons dealt with Naraku. I was wounded and I ran."

He was quiet for a long time. Rin looked at them below, as she was still in the air with Ah-Un.

"My lord?" asked Jaken. "What do you wish to do, my lord?"

"I want to find the slayer."

"Yes, right away, my lord," he said. He stuck the staff of two heads into the ground. "Tell me the direction of the slayer!" the staff trembled for a moment, before the side of Beauty's eyes flew open, and a bone chilling shriek came from its mouth. "She's towards the west, my lord."

"Then let's go," said Sesshomaru. He began to walk, leaving Kagura on the ground besid

"Wait," she said.

"What is it?"

"You don't really expect Naraku to be dead, do you?"

"I don't know. Those fire demons were both strong enough. It could be a possibility."

She stood up. "Might I accompany you?"

Jaken glared at the demoness, but for once, keeping his mouth shut, and leaving the choice completely up to his master.

"Do as you wish, but should any harm come to Rin by your hand, I swear you will die."

"The child is not of interest to me, I assure you."

With that, they made their way towards the west.

Sango walked beside Hiei, a faint smile on her face. Yukina rode on top of Kirara, and Gyran was wrapped around Sango's shoulders. None of them spoke much, but the camaraderie amongst them was definitely there. For once, Sango didn't feel lonely in their silence. She reached out tentatively, and gave Hiei's hand a gentle squeeze. He turned to her, and although he didn't smile, and although the hardness wasn't completely gone from his crimson eyes, the coldness at least, had disappeared. He returned her gentle squeeze, and his eyes flickered down to her wrist, where she still wore his gem. It caught the sun, and the blue mist-like aura swirled inside it. It was precious to Sango, and a feeling that Hiei didn't understand washed over him when he saw that she still had it, despite how cold he had been to her before.

"This is my stop," said Yukina, almost sadly.

Sango and Hiei snapped to attention when she broke the silence between them all. Gyran raised his head from Sango's shoulder to look at Yukina curiously.

"You can get back to the Realm of Ice from here?" asked Hiei.

"Yes, I can," she said, looking down at her hands. Sango stepped forward, helping the delicate demoness off of Kirara.

"You still never told us why you left in the first place," said Hiei.

"I left because I wasn't happy there. My mother left the realm, and no one knows where she is. They whisper that she left to find the fire demon she fell in love with."

Hiei's gaze steeled for a moment. Without thinking, he seized Sango's hand, gripping it tightly. Sango squeezed his hand back, looking at him. She wondered what had brought on that look. Was it a problem that his mother sought out his father again?

"Did you come to this realm in hopes of finding your mother?" Sango asked.

"No…well, maybe. I left because I felt so alone there. I'm so tired of the wind, the snow, the ice, and the cold. This realm is gorgeous. The seasons change. Summer is my favorite." She turned her face up to the sky, so that the sun hit her pretty face. "In my realm there's nothing like this, there's only the cold. I think that's why mother left. Maybe that's why she fell in love with a fire demon. Maybe he warmed her heart in a way no ice demon ever could. I don't blame her for leaving, but I wish she hadn't left me there…" A tear fell from her face, and as soon as it left her jaw, it turned into a gem and hit the ground with a sound like crystal rain. Sango wrapped her arms around Yukina, and even Gyran nuzzled her cheek in his own comforting way. Hiei placed a hand on her shoulder.

"As soon as we destroy Naraku, you can return to this realm."

Yukina's tears had continued to fall. By then, there were several scattered around their feet. She looked at Hiei and blinked her eyes. "Do you mean it?"

"Yes, I mean it," he said simply, stepping away.

Sango let go of Yukina and then took Hiei's hand again. She smiled up at him, and again, although he didn't smile back, she knew he appreciated it.

Yukina gathered the gems on the ground. "It's just as well that I started to cry. I'll need these to get back again, anyway." She saw Hiei and Sango's hands twined together, and her eye caught the glint of the gem on Sango's wrist. "Where did you get that?" she asked, pointing to the gem.

"This?" asked Sango.

"I gave it to her," Hiei said with a shrug. "Why?"

"Is it yours?"

"It is. Why?" he asked again.

"I thought only ice demons could produce those gems," she said.

Hiei stiffened, but didn't reply.

'He doesn't want her to know…' Sango thought. It suddenly dawned on her why Hiei had acted so aloof around her, despite the fact that she knew he had to be glad she was safe. Yukina and Gyran were everything to Hiei.

'You too, Sango.' Gyran chimed.

Sango pressed her other hand to Gyran's neck, and she swore the black-flamed dragon smiled.

Yukina was looking at Hiei curiously, and Hiei knew what she was thinking. 'Damn it all, we have the same colored eyes and she just noticed. Shit, shit, shit, shit.'

It was true. Yukina had crimson eyes as well, although hers were just slightly darker than Hiei's. This was the telltale sign of an ice demon, and not only did she notice this, but now she knew of Hiei's tears because she'd seen it on Sango's wrist.

"You better get back to your own realm now," Hiei said rigidly, trying to steer her focus in a different direction.

"Yes," she whispered. "I guess I better. You will keep your word though, yes?"

"Yes. I will keep my word. I promise you can return to this realm to stay as soon as Naraku is dealt with."

Yukina plucked one of the gems from the pile in her hand and pressed it into Sango's hand. "So you don't forget me, and so you can summon me when I can come back. Just touch the gem and think of me." She smiled and looked to Hiei. "Don't you dare forget."

"I won't."

Sango hugged Yukina one last time. Yukina stepped away from them, and focused her mind on the gems in her hand. They began to glow with a pure white light, and they floated away from her hand and formed a circle in front of her. Sango watched in awe, for she had never seen anything so beautiful. She looked inside the circle, and the ice realm appeared. It was snowy and white. She looked up to Hiei, but found that he wasn't looking at the realm. He was turned away from it, as if it was a cursed thing.

"Goodbye, my friends," whispered Yukina. She stepped inside the circle, and like a vacuum, the circle appeared to move inside itself, and the pretty demoness was gone.

That night, they sat around the fire in silence. No one could deny that Yukina was missed, and Hiei prayed that she was safe back there. He knew she was strong enough to deal with her sadness, and he vowed to himself that it wouldn't be long before she could come back. 'She's just like our mother,' he thought. 'Sick of that wreched realm, wanting more than ice and cold.' She was truly different. Sango brought him away from his sad thoughts when she moved to sit beside him.

"You wish she hadn't have had to go back," she said.

"Of course."

"We'll bring her back as soon as it's safe."

"I know we will."

Sango pressed her hand to his face, turning his head so that he had to look at her. His eyes finally met hers. She let herself get lost in his gorgeous eyes before leaning towards him and pressing her lips to his. Hiei was surprised, but her kiss was not unwanted. He let his eyes close with hers and pulled her into his lap. He felt her fingers slide through his hair and her body press against his own. He licked her lips, and she opened her mouth, allowing him entrance. His tongue pressed against hers, then swirled around her mouth. He laid her down so that he was half on top of her. She touched his face again and he pressed his hand on top of hers.

"Hiei, I care for you," she said. "I like being with you and Gyran. Both of you give me hope that one day I could be completely happy. I want the same for you and for my brother, and especially for Yukina."

He didn't know what to say to her unexpected words. He leaned down on her and pressed his mouth to hers again. Sango didn't need him to say sweet nothings to her. His show of affection was enough. He laid down flat on his back, and she moved closer, placing her head on his chest, and drifting off to sleep.

Okay my hopefully still loyal readers. I'm SO SO SO SORRY for taking so long. I started this chapter like last week after I published the last one, but I didn't get around to finishing it until today. My grandmother moved in with my parents because she just couldn't live alone anymore. She's like 96, so it was about due. Anyway, both of my parents work, so during the day, I've had to go over there and watch her because the HouseAid lady who's usually there is away at her daughter's wedding. I wasn't needed today, so yeah. I decided to wrap up this chapter. I hope you enjoyed this, please let me know what you think. The SangoxHiei romance I felt, was needed. I really didn't want to drag it out any longer, so yeah. PLEASE review this chapter you guys. It would mean so much. I hope you guys have a great and safe weekend!

-Tremor's Girl


	8. Chapter 8

Days passed for Sango, Hiei, Gyran and Kirara, and they seemed content. Kohaku and Yukina still weighed on both of their hearts, but they managed to keep upbeat moods during the day. Each night, Hiei hoped he wouldn't have the dream, and some nights he slept peacefully, always close to Sango. Other nights, however, he awoke shaking and freezing. None of them could explain why Hiei always got so physically cold when he had the dream, and it was unsettling for everyone. Summer was coming to a close, and no trace of Naraku could be found.

OOO

On Autum's first morning, after packing up their camp, Sango, Hiei, Gyran and Kirara began the days' worth of travels. Sango was sleepy, and when Hiei gently, but firmly took her arm and pulled her behind him, it startled her.

"What is it, Hiei?" she asked, trying to focus on the area around them, but sensing no danger.

"There's a demon close by. Gyran, do you feel it?"

'I do,' answered Gyran. 'The aura hardly seems threatening, though. What's got you so worked up, Hiei?'

Hiei didn't answer. He only made sure Sango was protected, safely behind him.

"Hiei," she protested. "I don't need protecting."

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you!" he snapped.

Sango gritted her teeth. "I'm not made of porcelain. I can take care of myself."

Hiei rubbed his temples. "Listen to me, Sango. You wanted to be my companion, yes? You wanted to be my one, and now that I'm treating you like both of those things, you're getting angry with me? You're being absurd."

"I want to be treated like-"

'Stop this now!' commanded Gyran in an irritable voice, cutting off Sango's words.

Sango blinked, then turned to look at Gyran. There was question in her eyes.

'Sango,' Gyran reasoned. 'Hiei is right. He only wants you to be safe. A man, whether demon or human, when in any kind of relationship with a woman, whether it be lover, brother, or even friend, wants to feel needed. With you, being stronger than any human and over half the demons even Hiei has faced, it's hard to feel needed. Please just let him be protective every now and then. Please.'

Sango huffed, but placed her hand on Hiei's shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said, softly. Hiei nodded, continuing to walk forward slowly. Sango tried to focus through her sleepiness and irritableness to sense the aura. She felt it a few moments later. She tapped Kirara, who was draped over her left shoulder, sleeping. Kirara awoke with a soft meow. "Kirara, it's our friends!" she exclaimed. She ran ahead of Hiei and Gyran, towards the energy they sensed.

'Their friends?' asked Gyran.

"Who knows," said Hiei, his irritation at the slayer growing by the second. He sighed and raced to catch her. "Why must you insist on running ahead of us?"

"I know who it is!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

"And that means we can't all move forward together as a group?" he countered.

Sango said nothing. They continued forward, and after a short time, Sango's old companions appeared. Inuyasha was the first to come into view, and Sango moved faster. "Inuyasha!"

"Sango?" came his reply. She ran until he was in front of her, and she threw her arms around him.

"Inuyasha!" she said, relief and happiness in her voice. "It's so good to see you."

Inuyasha smiled, almost awkwardly as Hiei and Gyran moved into his view. He returned her hug, patting her back in a brotherly manner. "Uh….Sango?" he asked curiously.

"Yes?" she asked, pulling back. Before Inuyasha could ask his question, Kagome and Miroku appeared.

"Inuyasha," complained Kagome. "Why'd you run off like th-Sango!" Kagome exclaimed upon seeing her friend.

"Lady Kagome," Sango said, moving away from Inuyasha to hug her friend.

"Sango, it's so good to see you," came another male voice. Sango looked up from Kagome's shoulder, into a pair of pretty blue eyes that belonged to a certain lecherous monk she had once had feelings for.

"M-Miroku," she stammered. "It's good to see you too." A blush crept up to her face. She could actually feel her cheeks burning. She let go of Kagome, and Miroku moved forward to hug her. She patted his shoulder, then backed away quickly. She knew that if they hugged, he'd most likely fondle her backside, and she wasn't about to allow that. Not only would she have to slap him across the face, she was sure Hiei would do a lot more. Miroku looked disappointed that she had hugged Kagome and even Inuyasha, but gave him only a friendly pat. So lost in thought was he that he barely heard what Inuyasha said.

"Sango," Inuyasha said, clearing his throat. "Care to introduce your new, uh…friends?"

"Oh! Of course." She said, walking back to a very irritated Hiei. His nerves calmed a bit when she took his hand, and he almost smirked at the look on the monk's face when she did it. "This is Hiei," she said. "And this is Gyran," she said, gesturing to the black-flammed dragon, who was in his usual spot: around Hiei's arm. "I met both of them a while after I left you all."

"I thought you wanted to travel solo," accused Inuyasha, folding his arms.

"She thought it would be best if she traveled with us," Hiei defended.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at the fire apparition. "Is that so?" he asked.

"Indeed." Answered Hiei stiffly.

"Inuyasha, stop it! You're being very rude," Kagome snapped. She smiled cheerfully at Hiei and Gyran. "I'm Kagome."

"The miko. Yes, Sango's told us about you. She's missed you," said Hiei.

"I'm flattered," commented Kagome.

"Feh," said Inuyasha, his arms still crossed over his chest.

"Sango," said Miroku gently. "Won't you consider traveling with us again? Your presence has been greatly missed among us all."

"Well Miroku…" Sango didn't quite know how to finish. Her eyes wandered over to Gyran, who oddly enough, hadn't piped up and chimed anything to anyone the way he usually did. His gaze was serious. Words were not needed. The look in his eyes clearly said what he did not. They said "If you leave us, I'll hate you and the trust Hiei has that you won't leave will have been given to you for nothing. Got it?" Sango looked up into Miroku's expectant eyes. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea."

"And why the hell not?" demanded Inuyasha. "We were all a group first. What? Are we not good enough for you anymore?"

'The lady has given you her answer,' warned Gyran. 'Now, I'm going to ask you to respect her choice.'

It took Inuyasha's group a second, as it usually did for everyone whom Gyran "spoke" to, to realize the thought planted in their heads came from him.

"Well, have you ran across Naraku?" asked Miroku, trying his best to neutralize the situation.

"Yes," Sango said. "He managed to escape us. We rescued the ice demoness who was with him though," Sango said, purposefully leaving out the part that she was Hiei's sister. She wasn't sure if it was okay for her to tell them that part, so she left it out, just as she had not told Hiei that Inuyasha's time of weakness was on the night of the new moon.

"Really?" asked Kagome. "That's great! What was her name, is she safe?"

"Her name was Yukina, and yes. She's safe. She returned to her own realm. She's going to stay there until Naraku is dead."

"Ooh.." said Kagome, sounding rather sad. "She didn't want to go back, then."

"No," answered Sango. "I take it Naraku wasn't anywhere to be found from where you came from?"

"Obviously not," said Inuyasha, rolling his eyes. "We'd be there if he was."

Hiei swore. "That cursed demon."

"Why do you seek to destroy him, Hiei?" asked Miroku.

"Because the ice demoness who he kidnapped is my sister." He answered. "Not that it was any of your business."

Miroku's brow twitched.

"What's the matter, monk?" asked Hiei.

Miroku didn't answer, but Hiei's attitude was getting on Inuyasha's nerves. "What's YOUR problem, flamey?" he asked.

"Let me think," Hiei said tapping his chin with his index finger. "You."

"Hiei," Sango whispered. "Please try to understand how they must feel. I did leave them because I wanted to travel alone, and now that they see me with you and Gyran-"

"They should just be happy that you're alive and with someone who cares about you," Hiei finished for her, trying to be patient.

She looked down at Gyran, who only nodded.

"Well," Kagome said. "We have missed you, Sango. Would you and your friends consider traveling with us?"

Inuyasha snorted. "As if. It's pretty obvious those two think they're above us."

"I think no such thing," said Hiei.

'Nor do I," chimed Gyran.

"Well then," said Kagome. "Would you consider it?"

"Maybe," he answered.

"Great!" exclaimed Kagome. "Let's stop here for the day, shall we?" she asked, turning to Inuyasha.

"What?" he asked. "Are you kidding me? It's in the middle of the day!"

"So what?" she asked. "We haven't seen Sango in over a month and we can give them until tomorrow at least to consider our offer," she huffed.

"You mean your offer," he corrected.

"You can't deny you've missed having Sango and Kirara around!" she snapped.

"Feh. Whatever," he said with a scoff.

"I knew it. What do you say, Miroku?"

"Sounds reasonable enough to me," said Miroku.

"Great!" Kagome said, shrugging off her giant yellow backpack.

After setting up camp, uhem, separately….

"Sango, we passed a nice hotspring. We could take Kirara and take a nice hot bath like we used to. Do you wanna?"

"That sounds nice. Hiei, do you mind?"

"No," he said. "Go ahead."

Sango knew he wasn't happy about the disturbance of sorts in their group. He liked it just being the four of them. (Including Gyran and Kirara) He hadn't even wanted to travel with Sango at first. It had taken him quite a while to warm up to her, and she was just one person. She couldn't imagine how long it would take him to warm up to three, if ever. She touched his face gently, pressing on his cheek until his head turned enough so he was looking at her. "It's just really good to see them. I know you're not crazy about this, and we'll talk about everything either in the morning, or when Kagome and I get back."

He only nodded. Sango sighed, leaning towards him and pressing her lips to his. Hiei sat stiffly, not returning her kiss for a second or two, and then Sango licked his lips. Finally relenting, he kissed her back, touching her cheek tenderly.

"I'll see you in a bit," she said.

He only nodded, but Sango knew he didn't want her to leave at all. His protective side didn't like the idea of her being away from him. She knew Inuyasha probably felt the same about Kagome, though neither was likely to admit it.

OOO

"Oh, this is so nice. We haven't come across a hot spring in a long time, and I haven't had a chance to go home for a shower. Bathing in cold streams all the time stinks."

Sango laughed. "I know how you feel. I haven't seen a hot spring in ages either."

"So, Hiei…." Kagome wondered aloud, wanting the details.

Sango blushed. "I care for him a lot." She admitted.

"He cares for you, too. I can tell, but what about Miroku. Does this mean you're over him?"

"Yes," answered Sango. "I had slight feelings for him before, but nothing like this now."

"Well, he saw you two kiss earlier, and you should have seen his face! Oh, gosh he was jealous!" she gushed.

Sango blushed. She hadn't realized that at all. "Did he now?" she asked.

"Yup!" Kagome chirped. "Oh Sango, I've missed this. Traveling with two guys all the time…..I don't know how I handled it so well before you came along. Seriously. Come to think of it though, it wasn't long into our journey that we met you…" she said thoughtfully.

"I've missed you too, Kagome," Sango admitted. "So you and Inuyasha….?"

"Oh, you know him. He gets jealous every time Koga comes around. That's about it. He's still hung up over Kikyo." She sighed. "I don't think that's ever going to change."

"Give him time. I think he'll come around."

"Do you?" she asked, sounding hopeful.

"I do," Sango said honestly.

"Well…..I guess we should start heading back…" said Kagome.

"Yes, I think you're right."

"Are you going to think about coming along with us?"

"We'll see. I want to make sure it's okay with Hiei. If it isn't….."

"You'll go with him," Kagome finished.

"I'm sorry, but yes."

"I understand."

The girls dressed in silence, then mounted Kirara, and headed back to camp. When they got there, Inuyasha and Miroku were both asleep. Kagome smiled at Sango before sliding into her bedroll for the night. Sango returned the smile and walked to Hiei and Gyran, who were both still awake, awaiting her return.

"You're back," said Hiei simply.

Sango smiled. "Yes," she said, knowing that his two simple words meant he was glad she had returned at last.

"Did you have a nice time with your friend?"

"Yes, I did. We always used to soak in hot springs together when we were lucky enough to come across them. It was nice getting to do that again."

Hiei only nodded. She sat beside him, laying her head on his shoulder. "I'm glad to be back here with you though."

The left corner of Hiei's mouth lifted just slightly. He laid back against Kirara, who had remained in her true form and curled up behind Hiei when they'd come back, and pulled Sango down with him. Neither spoke, and Sango was about to drift off to sleep, but Gyran nudged her arm. Sango looked at him, and this time, his eyes were softer. He curled up next to her, and Sango knew he was welcoming her back.

Okay guys. *_* I've been wanting Inuyasha's group to enter the story for a while, but I had to figure out how I was going to go about it. Let me know what you think, please. Last chapter I didn't get much feedback, and I'd like to thank Crimson Angel Eyes and Culebra del Sol both for reviewing. You guys are my much needed motivation. . I'm not sure I'm going to continue this now. I dunno….lack of feedback is discouraging. Do you guys want more, or am I losing readers? =O I dunno.

Also, one more question, and the first to review wins and gets what they want. Do you want Sango, Hiei, Gyran and Kirara to join Inuyasha's group, or do you want them to respectfully decline and for me to keep this story (granted that I continue it) going with only the main four characters like it's been so far? Like I said, first one wins!

It's Friday! I hope you all have a great, fun, and most importantly, a safe weekend!

Forever yours,

Tremor'sGirl. (For those who may be curious, my name's Miranda.) Just thought I'd throw that out there. =D Lol. Ciao!


	9. Chapter 9

"Well, Sango?" asked Kagome. "Have you and Hiei decided whether or not you want to travel with us? I really think it's a good idea to work together on this."

"I don't know just yet," said Sango.

Kagome sighed. It was more than the fact that she thought they would make a stronger team together, rather than apart. She missed having a female companion. It was hard sometimes, traveling with a lecherous monk and a hot headed hanyou.

"Hiei?" Kagome prodded. "What do you say?"

"I'm leaving it up to Sango."

"Feh," grumbled Inuyasha. "She left us because she wanted to travel alone for Kami only knows what reason, only to realize she couldn't do it on her own after all, so she joined you." He said, gesturing to Hiei and Gyran. "Way to be a pal, Sango."

'We asked her to join us, insolent dog,' Gyran added. 'Don't assume she came crawling to us on hand and knee. We needed her assistance because she seemed to know more of Naraku than us, and without her help, we wouldn't have been able to rescue Yukina on our own. She was an asset, not luggage.'

"Inuyasha," Kagome warned. "Stop being so rude."

Sango stared at the ground. It was difficult for her to listen to her friends argue about her worth like this. She understood why Inuyasha was angry with her, though. She'd betrayed them all, especially him, and they had forgiven her and taken her in with welcome arms, and what had she done to repay them? She had left.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha." Sango whispered, tears welling her eyes. "So sorry…." She looked up at him with tearful eyes. "Hiei, Gyran and I will travel by ourselves. I won't burden your group with my presence."

"That's not what I was saying," he snapped.

Sango winced at his tone.

Hiei glared at Inuyasha in warning, and he sighed, softening his voice. "We've really needed you and Kirara too, Sango. You were on our team. You remember us all promising you could return to us if you wanted. We're asking."

"We'll stay with you for a little while longer, while she makes up her mind." Hiei said somberly. He took Sango's hand in his. "She's done a lot for me; it's only fair that I do my best to keep her as happy as possible. Leaving her is not an option though. Not unless she orders me away."

Sango tightened her grip on his hand. "Never."

He grinned. "I thought so," he said, with just a bit of arrogance.

Gyran rolled his eyes. 'Sango, please. Let's not give him too big of a head. Go ahead and let him think he could lose you,' he teased.

Sango and Kagome laughed, Hiei thumped Gyran between his eyes, telling him to shush, and even Inuyasha couldn't help but smirk. Everyone made light of the moment except Miroku.

"Well," Inuyasha said as Kagome climbed onto his back, "Shall we be off, then?"

"Yes, lets," murmured Sango. She was still so unsure of what they should do, but she was so grateful for Hiei's patience with her on the matter. Gyran's too. She suspected that they both wanted her to decline their offer still, but she wondered if there was a chance they might grow to at least like Inuyasha and Kagome.

The days went by easily enough for Sango. She seemed to be a sort of bridge for the groups, for though they traveled side by side together, they were still very much split. This made Sango a bit uneasy, but she tried her best to gently push everyone towards getting along. She mostly walked with Hiei on one side, and Kagome on the other, for the girl rarely ever left her side. Kagome was very interested in Gyran, for she had never seen anything like him before. Gyran slowly grew to like Kagome the most out of anyone in the group, and he answered anything she had to ask about him. She told him of her world and how she had come to be in this era, and Gyran was quite intrigued, having never heard of such a thing before.

Kagome also made gentle attempts to talk to Hiei as well. She tried not to prod too much, so she asked simple questions like how he and Gyran had met, and then how he and Sango had come across each other. She knew Sango would tell her if she asked, but she was trying to get to know Hiei on her own a little. When she heard the story, she thanked him for saving Sango, and keeping her safe. Hiei had only nodded, but it was enough for Kagome.

OOO

'What do you think of them?' Sango asked Hiei and Gyran both.

'Kagome is fine. I like her well enough,' chimed Gyran.

'I suppose I agree. Inuyasha doesn't say enough. I know he doesn't like the idea of us joining them. He only wants you. The monk's attitude towards me is laughable. Was there something going on between you two before you left?'

'No, there wasn't anything going on. I….well I might have liked him before, but he's such a lecher. Wait till you see him around women.'

Hiei lifted an elegant eyebrow. 'Should I be worried?'

'No, not at all.'

Hiei smirked. 'I didn't think so. Even if I did, I'd just kill him anyway.'

'Hiei,' Sango chided.

'What? I'll be damned if I lose you to someone such as him. If you're going to leave me, at least leave me for a demon. Sesshomaru, perhaps.' He teased.

'Now that you mention him, he is quite handsome….maybe next time I see him….' She allowed the thought to trail off.

Hiei growled.

'I'm joking. You know I am.'

'Perhaps I'll look more into Kagura…..' he teased right back

'I'll break her pretty little wind sorceress face.'

'I believe you.'

She smiled. 'I would.'

"Hey guys?" Kagome chimed. "Wanna stop for lunch?"

"What? Again?" asked Inuyasha.

"Yes, I'm getting tired of riding this bike, okay?" she snapped.

Afraid of being made to "sit," Inuyasha relented, grumbling to himself about losing time and Naraku.

"Your group sure does stop a lot," commented Hiei.

"Tell me about it," grumbled Inuyasha. "It's hard to get anywhere when she insists on bringing that damn contraption along."

"Well excuse me," Kagome said, rather hurt. "I didn't realize I was such a burden!"

"It's not YOU, it's that THING!" exclaimed Inuyasha. "I don't get why you won't just leave it behind and ride with me."

"Why would I want to hang on you all the time?" she asked.

"Are they always like this?" asked Hiei.

"Not always, but it does happen quite a bit." Answered Sango.

"Why?"

"He's Kikyo's previous lover, remember? Now that she's been resurrected…."

"I see. Well, he quite obviously loves Kagome, I don't see what the problem here is."

"You think?"

He nodded.

"Even still…it's probably hard for him to forget about Kikyo…"

"If I was him, I'd choose Kagome. At lease she can share a life with him. Kikyo won't be able to stay on this earth forever."

"SIT! SIT SIT SIT! SIT BOY, SIT BOY, SIT BOY!"

Hiei watched in utter confusion as the necklace Inuyasha wore began to glow, and every time Kagome said the word "sit," he slammed and plowed further into the ground.

"What the hell….?"

"Enchanted beads." Said Miroku, walking over to them. This happens when he upsets her.

"Perhaps this is why he hasn't chosen her," Hiei said, quite dryly.

"What do you mean?" asked Sango.

"Uh, what do you think? If you did that to me, I wouldn't want to stay with you. I want an adult, not someone who throws a tantrum every time we have an argument. Kagome is nice enough, but her lack of maturity when it comes to her and Inuyasha disagreeing on something might be why he darts back to Kikyo."

"I don't think it's quite so simple…"

"Maybe not. It's just a theory."

Meanwhile….

"You're such a jerk! Why do you have to pick a fight with me every time I want to stop! I'm not a demon like you who can just keep going and going! You're so insensitive!" She began to stomp away.

"Kagome, where are you going?" asked Miroku.

"For a walk! ALONE!"

"I think it's best to leave her be."

"I agree," answered Miroku.

Hiei deftly walked over to where Inuyasha was. He had managed to sit up, but was staring after Kagome in bewilderment. He was slightly startled to see a hand in front of his face. He looked up to see that it was Hiei. After a moment's hesitation, he took his hand, and Hiei pulled him to his feet.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

"She said she wanted a break, but then goes walking away. I don't get it." Inuyasha muttered.

"She'll be fine after she cools down," assured Miroku.

"I know, but man, I'm never gonna figure her out."

Okay guys. I'm back! I hope I still have some readers. I know it's been months since I updated. We moved and we just got wi-fi and stuff here, so now that we're pretty much settled in, I can start updating like normal again. I'm hoping to continue to do 1 to 2 chapters a week like I used to, but be patient with me in case I can't. I can assure you it won't take me months though. ^_^ It was nice to write again, so if you're still reading, please review or message me to let me know! I kinda wanted to devote this chapter to the two groups interacting with one another. I'm sorry if it seems like it's dragging on. Critique me! I'd love to hear it.

Love always,

Me.


	10. Chapter 10

Kagome returned to the group, and immediately made a b-line to Sango. She sat by her friend in silence.

"Feeling better?" asked Sango

"No." she murmured.

"Come on," Sango said, standing up and taking Kagome's hand. Kagome went willingly, and together they walked off the dirt path and into the forest.

"This isn't just about him not wanting to take a break, is it?"

"No, it's not," said Kagome.

"Come on, tell me."

"If I was Kikyo, he wouldn't treat me like this. He would do anything for her, even if she wanted to stop every ten minutes, he would without complaint. I ask to stop once or twice a day, and he gets angry!"

"Kagome, you can't compare yourself to Kikyo. You're not Kikyo."

"You're right. Kikyo's the one he loves, not me."

"That's not what I'm saying at all, and that's not what Hiei thinks."

"What are you talking about?"

"Hiei is convinced Inuyasha is in love with you. He told me so."

"He doesn't even know Inuyasha."

"He's good at reading people. Very good," said Sango.

"Sango, please stay with us. Hiei said he was leaving the choice up to you. He and Gyran obviously aren't going anywhere without you," kagome said, changing the subject completely.

Sango blinked, slightly taken aback by her sudden outburst. "The thing is, I know they like traveling as just the four of us," she said, after a long moment.

"Is it Miroku? Me, or Inuyasha?"

"I would say it's more Miroku and Inuyasha they don't care for. They both like you well enough."

"Is Hiei jealous?"

"Of who, Miroku?"

"Yeah."

"Hardly. He pretty much knows I'd never leave him."

Kagome sighed. "And so does Inuyasha."

"Hm?" asked Sango.

"Every time he goes to Kikyo, he knows I won't leave. He knows it's more painful for me to stay away than it is for me to see him with her."

"I think he'll surprise you, if you just give him a little more time."

"You do?"

"Really, I do."

"Thank you, Sango."

"You're welcome," she said, hugging her friend. "Are you ready to return to the others?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

The girls walked arm in arm back to the group.

"Welcome back," Hiei said.

"Thank you," Sango said with a soft smile.

'Is she all right?' asked Gyran, only to Sango.

"I think so," she whispered in reply.

"Well, shall we be on our way, then?" asked Miroku.

"I guess we better," Kagome replied, packing up her things. "Even though we didn't get to eat," she said, secretly hoping to get a rise out of Inuyasha.

Inuyasha said nothing. He was eerily quiet, and was staring at nothing in particular, it seemed.

"Inuyasha, what's wrong?" asked Sango. She felt his presence a moment later. Lord Sesshomaru. Someone else was with him, but she couldn't tell. She heard Gyran hiss, and suddenly a barrier was before them all. "What is-" She didn't have time to finish before Sesshomaru's red cloud appeared. He came into view first, then Ah-Un, and then her previous assailant, Kagura.

"Hello, little brother," Sesshomaru said, lightly.

"Sesshomaru, what are you doing here, and why the hell is she with you?"

"I will be asking the questions," he said, sounding bored as usual. "Sango," he said turning to her. "Where is Naraku?"

"I don't know," she stammered. She wasn't even looking at him. She was looking at Kagura, who sat atop her feather, close to Ah-Un. "We were close to defeating him, but he got away."

"In which direction did he travel?" he asked.

"I don't know," Sango said, tearing her eyes away from Kagura to look at him.

"Hmph," he said.

"Why didn't you just ask HER?" asked Hiei, sneering.

"Because, HER nekomata almost sent me to an early grave!" Kagura accused, pointing to Sango.

"Well that, and the fact that you ran away like a coward."

"Shut it, you wretch!" Kagura said, sending blades of wind towards them. They hit the barrier with great force, and were sent right back at her, and in the direction of Ah-Un. Sesshomaru leapt into the air, ripping Tokijin out of his belt to deflect the blades that were spinning towards Ah-Un, Jaken, and Rin. "Ah!" cried Kagura, barely moving fast enough to avoid the last three blades.

"Kagura," said Sesshomaru in a warning tone, "Do not do that again."

She only nodded, saying nothing.

"Are you afraid of me?" Sesshomaru asked, turning to face Hiei.

"Yes, and grass grows out of the sky," answered Hiei, seemingly amused at his question.

"Then why the barrier, hm?"

"Insurance," he replied, stepping out of the barrier.

"Such arrogance from the fool who let Naraku escape."

"Says the one who has allies himself with his hellish spawn," retorted Hiei, nodding towards Kagura.

"Such insolence as well. You and Inuyasha have much in common."

"Well, if he's anything unlike you, we should get along just fine."

"Hiei," Sango warned. "Please don't…"

"Save your worry," he said.

"You have some nerve, Sesshomaru," Inuyasha growled. "Coming at us like you are, and traveling with her! You make me sick."

"There is so very much to learn, little brother. You understand so little."

"I understand that I'm taking you down this time!" Inuyasha roared, ripping Tetsusaiga from its sheath and lunging towards Sesshumaru.

"Inuyasha, no!" cried Kagome.

Tokijin and Tetsusaiga clashed with a sound like thunder. Inuyasha swung his sword again, and Sesshomaru did a backflip out of the way. Sesshomaru went at Inuyasha again, moving so quickly Inuyasha didn't have time to blink, much less avoid his brother's poisonous claws. When they made contact with his shoulder, he cried out in pain.

"INUYASHA!" screamed Kagome.

"I'll teach you a lesson, little brother," sneered Sesshomaru. Inuyasha struggled, and Sesshomaru dug his claws in deeper, rendering him paralyzed.

"Move away from him, or I will end your life." Came Hiei's voice, six inches behind Sesshomaru.

"If you get in my way, I will take you down."

"Care to wager on that?" asked Hiei.

After several moments, Sesshomaru released his hold on Inuyasha, and the now unconscious hanyou slumped to the ground. "Your interference was unnecessary," he said. "He's still too useful to slay as of this moment. Putting him in his place never hurts, though." He turned, and with that, walked away, with Kagura and Ah-Un above him.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, rushing towards him, dropping to her knees and pulling his head into her lap. "Oh, Inuyasha…" she began to sob quietly.

"You need not worry, he'll be fine. He'll need time to recover, but there was no permanent damage done, I can assure you."

"Thank you, Hiei. You saved his life," sobbed Kagome.

"Hardly. I don't think Sesshomaru was lying when he said he wasn't going to kill Inuyasha whether I had intervened or not."

"Are they always like this when they cross paths, and if so, does Inuyasha always get his ass handed to him like this?"

"No, not usually," answered Sango, walking over to him. "I mean, yes, they usually end up fighting, but usually it's the other way around."

"Really now? Well I wonder why this encounter turned out so differently. I would have enjoyed seeing that arrogant demon being put in his place."

"Well, if we stick with them a bit longer, we're bound to cross paths with him again, and maybe next time, you'll get your wish."

"Yes. It's becoming more appealing by the second," he said, "but right now, we need to get him to a safe place to recover."

OOOO

"Miroku, you've hardly said a word all day. What's the matter?" asked Kagome.

They had set up camp near a cave, and everyone save for Inuyasha was sitting around the fire, together, instead of separately, for once.

Miroku tore his gaze away from the cave, where Inuyasha was still resting. "I'm just thinking, Kagome. That's all."

"About what?"

"Why on earth would Sesshomaru be traveling with Kagura, and why is Naraku allowing this?"

"Gyran severely wounded him the last time we met. Maybe he's incapacitated at the moment, working on recovering, rather than keeping Kagura on a leash. Of course, this is just a theory," mused Sango.

"Makes sense," said Kagome. "But what about Sesshomaru traveling with her?"

"I have no idea," said Sango.

'I think he's using her,' piped Gyran.

"How so?" asked Sango. "She doesn't know where Naraku is either."

'While that may be true, I believe that he'll eventually order her back to him.'

"And he'll follow her to wherever Naraku is," said Sango.

'That's what I'm thinking. Of course I could be wrong. Naraku never makes finding him that simple.'

"She seems to want him dead as much as we all do."

"I figured," said Hiei.

'Let's all get some rest. We have tomorrow to try and figure this out.'

"I agree with Gyran," Kagome said. She turned to look into the cave again.

'He'll be all right, Kagome.' Promised Gyran.

"I know he will."

WHEW! Okay guys. I'm SO SO SO SORRY it's taken me so long to get this chapter written. What can I say? Life's a bitch. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, especially those that were like "OMG PLEASE UPDATE!" You guys motivated me to get my ass back to the computer. I've got a new story in my mind, and yeah, it's a SangoxHiei. Wondering if I should start on it, or wait till I wrap this one up, though it won't be for a long while if I wait….hmmm…

Anyway! Hope you enjoyed this! Let me know what you think!


End file.
